


Chasing Faeries

by MugenYumeDansu



Series: Little Girls Lost [2]
Category: Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood, Blood Drinking, Brotherly Dwayne, Character(s) with magical abilities, Concerned David, Dream Sex, Elemental Magic, F/M, Fantasizing, Fierce!Paul, Gods and Demigods, Gore, Graphic Violence, Half-Vampires, Infatuated OFC, Intrigue, Lots of Sex, Magic, Monsters, Mystery, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, OFC(s) - Freeform, Protective!Paul, Recreational Drug Use, Resurrection, Revenge, Romance, Size Kink, Slow Build, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Vampires, Violence, Witches, biting kink, dark themes, sadism/masochism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-04-19 05:48:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 41,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14230647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MugenYumeDansu/pseuds/MugenYumeDansu
Summary: Gemma Silvan misses her best friend after Ronnie moves in with her new boyfriend and his weird friends.She only ever sees her friend at night now, thanks to the nocturnal habits of the party boys. Then she meets Paul, resident stoner of Ronnie's new group of friends and becomes infatuated fast.But Gemma doesn't know that Ronnie warned the Lost Boys away from her friends, and can't figure out why Paul is playing hot and cold with her.Then one night tragedy strikes and Paul is the one who comes to her rescue, unable to hide either his feelings or his true nature from her.Now she has to choose; go back to her life before she met Paul, or succumb to the darkness that keeps pulling her ever closer and leave behind the people she cares about.***Title changed from Chasing the White Rabbit***





	1. Highstrung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Dandelion - Audioslave  
> Rocket - Def Leppard

Gemma was tired. She had worked doubles for three days running at the cafe, and she had just gotten home. She was sweaty, sore, and hungry. And honestly she wanted nothing more than to roll a blunt, run herself a bubble bath, and sink into a state of pure bliss.

Only two problems with that. The first, she was completely out of weed and her dealer hadn't been answering the phone all day. And the second was the dark haired, green eyed girl currently lounging across Gemma's bedspread.

"Ronnie! What are you doing here?" She asked, excitement bubbling up in her chest. Her fatigue was momentarily forgotten.

"Well, I was coming by to see if you wanted to hang out tonight. Maybe go to a party down on the beach, maybe cruise the boardwalk for a while, but you look beat. You work a double today?" Ronnie asked, sitting up and reaching over to pull the redhead closer. Gemma dropped her purse and moved in to plop down on the side of the bed and hug her best friend, wide smile firmly in place. When she pulled back from the intoxicating scent of lavender and orchids that brought her comfort on a subconscious level she opened her mouth to reply.

"Not just today. Three days in a row. And they want me to work another one Saturday. I'm so exhausted. I just wanna drown myself in a cloud of smoke and forget my own name right now." She whined, knowing that Ronnie would listen patiently, and then do something to cheer her up. She always did.

"Awe, Gem, I'm sorry. That completely sucks. Why they got you working doubles anyway? Usually they split them up some, right?" The taller girl asked.

"They had a girl on evenings quit. Just walked out in the middle of her shift two days ago. They called me back in. I wish I hadn't answered my phone. Don't get me wrong, the tips from evenings are good, but the people I have to interact with. Geez." She explained and then went on a rant. Her best friend just nodded and motioned for her to continue.

"There was this guy yesterday. All hands and wouldn't keep 'em off of me. God he made me want to smash a plate over his head. Or dump something on him. Ugh!" She growled. Ronnie patted her back and made a sound of commiseration.

"Guys like that piss me off. Just wanna tear off their arms and beat them to death with them. Pricks." The raven haired girl said casually, but there was something behind the words that made Gemma think she was a little serious. Ever since Ronnie had moved in with her boyfriend David and his buddies, she had changed.

Sure, she was still the same friend she always had been, there to watch monster movie marathons with Gemma, and comment on all the crappy effects and acting, and steal the majority of Gemma's snacks (even if Gemma did steal them right back), and spend nights walking the boardwalk and doing the things they used to do. But there was an underlying violence to some of the things Ronnie did and said.

She had always joked that way before, but now when she said violent things there was a sadistic gleam in her eyes that she tried to hide from Gemma, but it was there nonetheless. It made Gemma somewhat nervous, but she still loved her best friend dearly. She'd take her any way she could, now that they weren't living in the same house, and the older girl only visited a couple times a week. 

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me vent. I needed that. I feel better already." She said. And she meant it. The vice around her chest that she hadn't even realized was there had loosened enough for her to breathe a little easier.

"So, what'cha wanna do then? Movie marathon or something? I'll have to let David know we're staying in tonight." The dark haired girl asked, shoulder bumping the redhead gently. Gemma looked around her room and felt like the walls were starting to close in. She repressed a shiver and stood quickly.

"You know what, my feet may be killing me, but I think maybe I do need to get out tonight. Let me get a bath and get ready and we'll go." She practicality skipped over to her dresser and rifled through everything until she found her favorite sky blue bra with the silky panties to match and a short blue dress with a pattern of lighter and darker circles overlapping each other. She headed out the door at Ronnie's noncommittal hum, knowing the other girl would entertain herself long enough for Gemma to get ready.

The short girl forewent the bath and opted for a quick shower, blow drying and moussing her hair into soft curls around her shoulders in record time. She threw on her clothes and applied a little bit of brown eyeliner and light blue eye-shadow and a touch of shimmery pink gloss on her lips in front of the bathroom mirror and ran back to her room.

"You ready?" Ronnie asked from her perch at the head of the bed surrounded by all of Gemma's multitude of multi colored and shaped pillows, arranged almost like a throne.

"Yeah let me grab a couple things." The excited girl said, snagging her denim cropped jacket and slinging it on and grabbing her dark brown flat soled ankle boots from the closet floor and pulling them on. She finished pulling the second one on while standing on one foot and jerking her purse from the floor to gather up her keys, wallet, phone and her lighter, just in case.

After her things were stowed in her pockets she headed out the door, calling back over her shoulder.

"Come on! I'm ready, slowpoke!" She giggled at the indignant squawk that came from the vicinity of her bed, followed by a thud and curses before the dark haired girl appeared in the doorway. Gemma was already halfway down the stairs.

***

Ronnie and gemma sure made a sight as they tore down the beach on Ronnie's brand new bike.

One in a blue minidress with her legs clamped together in the wind and one in black pants that laced all the way up the side and a halter top with a brightly colored Aztec patterned skull emblazoned on the front, both of them with their hair streaming in the wind. Ronnie let out a whoop of pure adrenaline fueled excitement every once in a while, and Gemma laughed loud in elation, head thrown back, arms securely wrapped around her best friend.

Most people who saw them probably thought they were lesbians. 

There was a massive bonfire up ahead with several figures surrounding it.

David was immediately recognizable, as his shock of blonde spikes stood out. As was Dwayne, the tall dark and silent man who didn't seem too friendly at first, but Ronnie claimed he was like a brother to her. And that he was sweet and sensitive under all that silent brooding outside.

Gemma couldn't really believe that, but she didn't care, as long as she got to look her fill at the eye candy he put out on full display by not wearing shirts that covered anything. He was standing next to David holding a bottle of something amber colored and taking swigs of it.

Ronnie pulled up next to a red and black Triumph, a black Harley with a silver panther decal on the side, and a silver black and blue Kawasaki.

She cut the engine on her own Triumph, a black one with a single green jagged streak, almost like a lightning bolt down the side, and let Gemma dismount before slinging her leg over and jumping down into the sand.

Gemma smoothed her dress down and followed after the dark beauty.

"Hey boys, what we drinking tonight?" Ronnie asked loudly. Dwayne turned and regarded the rambunctious 19 year old before turning back to talk to a blonde hanging on his arm.

David however turned smiling widely and pulled her into a kiss that made Gemma blush and turn away. They were whispering quietly to each other for a second before Ronnie pulled away and turned her attention back to her embarrassed friend.

"Hey, where's Paul? He has the green and my girl could really use a little chill, you know?" She asked, taking Gemma by the hand and heading over in the direction Dwayne pointed. There was a tall skinny blonde standing with two other girls, her back to them, but Gemma didn't see another guy anywhere around.

"Paul! Gimme that!" The dark haired girl called. The very same blonde Gemma had pegged for a woman turned and Gemma's jaw hit the sand.

The leggy blonde with the amazing hair was in fact not a woman at all. He was a very attractive male, wearing very tight white pants and a rose printed bandana holding his hair back. And he was very well built. He jerked his head in greeting and grinned.

"Yo pretty lady! How we doing sister?" He called, pulling a pre-rolled joint from behind one ear and a lighter seemingly out of nowhere. He lit up and took a puff before handing the smoke to Ronnie, who proceeded to inhale deep and blew out a cloud of sweet, pungent smoke and attempted to pass the weed to her stunned friend.

"I'm good. Hey Paul, this is Gemma, my best friend. Gemma, this is Paul, David's brother. Gemma? Hello?" Ronnie waved the hand holding the joint in front of the redhead who snapped out of her daze and took the joint in lieu of responding. She took a long drag and held it, exhaling a second later.

When she had recovered her brain she looked back up at the gorgeous man standing a few feet away.

"Uh, hi." She muttered. Paul shot her a cocky grin and nodded as the weed made its way back to him.

Gemma wasn't usually this shy, but she hadn't been expecting to be confronted by a gorgeous male specimen like this without some warning.

Ronnie shot her a puzzled look and then shook her head when she realized what had her talkative friend at a loss for words.

"Feel free to join the party." Came Paul's voice as he passed the joint again.

Gemma nodded but said nothing as they moved to join the others, passing the joint around. When Gemma got the last hit off the roach and passed it back to the blonde their fingers brushed briefly. A tiny thrill ran up Gemma's arm and made her warm all over.

The euphoria was starting to finally hit, her head feeling pleasantly fuzzy and her whole body becoming heavy and light at the same time. She didn't think too much on the feeling as a bottle made its way to her hand.

She took a long swallow of what turned out to be jack, and turned to her friend. She was sitting in the sand beside the bonfire, between David's legs.

They had started out talking about something mundane, and the conversation droned on around her as Gemma took the chance to relax. She planted her butt in the sand and stretched out her legs, crossing them at ankle. She sunk into the haze, fully letting go.

Gemma almost didn't recognize her own name when it came from a male voice.

She blinked and turned to the source of it. Paul was there beside her.

"You feel like some company? My date ditched me for her friend." He said jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Gemma leaned over to see past him.

One of the girls he had been with earlier draped over the other, their mouths locked in a heated make out session, hands busy. Apparently they did not appreciate the man who looked rather put out as he watched them.

"Ironically I did not peg them as lesbian. I actually thought me and Ronnie would end up getting mistaken for it, as touchy as we are with each other. You'd think they could at least try show the cute guy that seemed very interested in both of them a little consideration. Maybe offer a threesome. Everybody wins that way." The redhead said before her filter could kick in.

She mentally kicked herself, telling her mouth to shut up and not spill every thought her brain had in passing. That is, until Paul threw his head back and laughed, a rich sound that washed over her and made her almost glow with pride.

She had made him laugh, and it felt nice. No one usually thought she was funny. Just a chatter box that never shut up.

"Nice! That would be fair seeing as I'm supplying the smoke. They could show some appreciation. I'm even the one who invited them out here. Ah well. Just sucks they smoked up most of my shit. Now I gotta go find some more and my man is all the way in San Fran. That's a long ass drive!" He said as he plopped next to her.

"What kind was it you were getting?" She asked, always up for talking herb. It was her favorite past time aside from drawing.

"Eh, nothing fancy, just some 'corn. It was pretty though, with these little red hairs. Wasn't bad on the taste either. Pretty dank." He told her.

"Well, I know where you could get some Juicy Fruit. Pretty good prices too. It's where I usually get mine." She told him. Reggie was always looking for new customers so she knew he wouldn't mind her putting his name out there. From what Ronnie had told her Paul could probably keep the half Jamaican man in business all on his own. In her exact words, 'He smokes like a furnace in the winter; you gotta keep feeding the monster!' If it was even half true Reggie would be ecstatic.

"Really? They got any other kind? I'm kinda partial to Alcaploco Gold or Purple haze. Been a while since I got any though. " He asked casually pulling a half empty bottle out of his jacket and offering it to her. She had a case of cotton mouth starting so she accepted it. "Nicked it off of the face suckers over there. Don't think they'll notice though."

"He usually has some Widow or Orange Crush, but I just get the Juicy. It's my favorite of the three." She told him after taking a swig and passing the bottle back.

"Oh nice! Widow's the shit! Damn girl you got to introduce me!" He nudged her with his shoulder. She smiled and pulled out her phone. Maybe Reggie would actually answer now. She shot him a text. He didn't take long to respond. 

"Hey Paul, how much are you asking about?" She asked.

"Well I got four on me right now. What can he do for that. The redhead was startled, but she snapped out of it and went back to her phone for a minute. After a minute of her fingers flying over the phone, a short pause, another ding, and then another flurry of speedy fingers she turned to him again.

"He said he can do half that in what you want, and half in something else if you want." She told him.

"Nah, just tell him the Widow for now. If it's good I'll come back for more later." He told her, leaning his lanky body back on the cool sand. His shirt rode up a few inches, exposing a pale hipbone. Despite the dryness from smoking earlier her mouth watered.

She deliberately did not follow that mental path, instead turning back to her phone and focusing on what she was doing. She didn't see the sly look that took over his features.

"OK, he said that's cool. You want him to come to us, or us to go to him? He actually doesn't live far from here if you want to walk." She asked him. He thought for a second.

"We can go to him, just let me tell David whats up." He got up from his spot and ambled over to David and Ronnie. He crouched down beside them. The exchange was short and then Paul and Ronnie both rose and came back over to her.

"So we going to see Reggie?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah. I'm picking up my own too. He was busy yesterday and couldn't get back to me." She told her friend.

"Cool. You know where he's at, lead on my lovely friend." The tall blonde told her whith a flourish of his hand. Ronnie laughed and grabbed Gemma's arm, pulling her along off the beach.

"Adventure time!" She crowed. Gemma laughed and reached back to grab Paul's hand so he didn't get left behind. By the time they reach the edge of the beach they were a stumbling, giggling mess.


	2. Cavorting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Let's Get Rocked - Def Leppard  
> Crashed - Daughtry

Two women and a man stumbled, laughing, arms linked and a haze of smoke surrounding them, from one alleyway to another. The tall blonde male dragged both women around in a circle with him, humming the tune that he had heard blaring from the radio in the apartment three blocks down. 

Ronnie giggled and allowed Paul to spin her around in a circle before he did the same with Gemma. All of them were blitzed out of their minds and in a great mood.

Gemma was happy and relaxed, having completely forgotten her shitty day. They were almost back to the beach where they could hear music playing.

As soon as the strand was in sight Ronnie took off across the sand, flinging herself up onto the back of her boyfriend, who caught her easily and spun her on his back. Her shrieking laughter made Gemma smile. She and Paul followed at a much more sedate pace.

"So do you dance?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah, all the time." The strawberry blonde replied, a huge grin on her face.

"Sweet. Then let's dance." He grabbed her hand and dragged her out onto the sand. She laughed and let the beat take over. Her back met Paul's chest and they both swayed to the music. The euphoria of their high surrounded them, making the music hit just the right cord. 

Gemma let the beat take over and just moved. The feeling of weightlessness buoyed her and the drop of every drumbeat made her heart pound that much faster. Sweat slicked her skin and the cool air chilled her skin, causing her to break out in gooseflesh, but she didn't care. She rode the wave of audio bliss until the song ended.

Before she had a chance to come down some a familiar beat started up and a voice rang out that made her spirit jump. She was dancing again before she even thought about it.

By the time the high wore off enough that she came back to herself she realized that she and Paul had been dancing together the whole time, both lost in their own worlds.

Most guys would have taken off after a song or two when it became clear that she was more into the music than them. He had been just as into the music as she was. 

It was kind of nice to have someone to dance with who loved it as much as she did.

"Gem! C'mon!" Ronnie's voice cut through the haze of thoughts and Paul's blue eyes met hers.

"That was fun Pretty Lady. Maybe we can do it again sometime." He told her smiling.

Gemma nodded dumbly and turned to her friend. Ronnie was sitting on her bike waving Gemma over.

Gemma paused to pick up everything she had set down through the night and ran over to Ronnie's bike.

"Where we going?" Gemma asked. Ronnie looked over her shoulder.

"Dude, it's after 3 AM! You gotta get home!" The darker girl informed her friend. Gemma's eyes went wide.

"Its already three?! Shit let's go!" She wrapped her arms around the other girl and they took off.

***

Gemma collapsed in bed, freshly scrubbed and dressed in her pajamas. She was still completely blessed out from earlier, pleasantly sore from dancing for over an hour, and more relaxed than she had been in a long while.

Tonight had been really good for her. More than good.

Paul's face crossed her mind's eye and a sigh escaped the confines of her body.

He was so... Yummy. Tall, lithe, blonde, handsome face, nice body. Mm. There weren't many guys around that looked that good. Especially none that liked to dance as much as Gemma did. Maybe she could convince Ronnie to 'invite' her to more parties that he was going to be at. Gemma wouldn't mind getting a little bit of that for herself.

She hummed contentedly to herself as she drifted off, not even bothering to get under the blankets.

***

Paul watched his sister drive away with her quirky little friend. He took a long drag off the joint in his hand and turned back to his brothers.

He didn't know what Ronnie was playing at, first warning them all off her friends fiercely, and then bringing the cute little redhead around like she didn't know what was going to happen.

And cute she was. All delicate sweet softness and just the right amount of curve to her.

It had been hard for Paul to keep his hands off. Especially in that short blue dress she'd been wearing. He'd gotten more than one glimpse of exactly what was underneath it too. Soft blue lace and more perfect smooth skin.

If his sister hadn't been watching him like a hawk behind the other girl's back he would have been more than tempted to touch.

And her smell... The smell of roses and something he couldn't quite place, but would be willing to bet half his stash was what sunshine smelled like.

It was intoxicating. Or maybe that was the smoke. Either way Paul didn't know if he'd be able to behave next time.

There was just something about her. Something that drew him in. He could have made his way between his two faceless, now literally, dates. Instead he'd left them to the others to feed on.

Ronnie knew what was up. Its why she had insisted on joining them for their walk. She thought Paul couldn't be trusted alone with her friends. He could almost muster up some hurt there, but she was right. If he'd had the chance he would definitely have worked his charms on Gemma. And a little more than that. He never would have killed her; she was his sister's best friend. But he would have fucked the hell out of her. Still might, if given the chance.

She looked so soft and inviting. And not in the usual way. She looked so frail and delicate. Almost pixie-like. It made the predator in him sit up at attention. But in a different way than he had ever felt before.

Paul didn't want to eat her. He wanted to protect her.

Was this Ronnie's doing? After all, she was a pretty powerful vampire already. Maybe when she had made them all swear not to harm her friends it had instilled a protective instinct in them all as well?

Or maybe this was something different entirely. Maybe for the first time Paul had encountered someone who could be a potential mate for him? Sure it was extremely rare for vampires to find someone compatible with them enough to be a potential mate, but David had found Ronnie. Maybe Paul would get lucky and Gemma was a potential for him.

He would be a lucky fucker if she was. They didn't make 'em like that often. She was just his style, petite and cute. He would love to get a.little time alone with her. And damn, the girl could dance. He had been pretty surprised just how into it she got. It had him reacting in a decidedly unsafe way if he wanted to keep his jewels in tact. Ronnie was fierce thing when her ire was incited.

He took a long drag of his joint and exhaled slow, watching the smoke curl into the air and away. His thoughts swirled like the smoke, eddying around in his head.

"You want to go for a hunt before we head home for the night?" His leader's voice broke through his thoughts. Paul remembered then that he and Ronnie hadn't fed tonight, busy with Gemma instead. The taller blonde turned to his brothers and nodded, offering up the smoke to the darker of the two before heading over to his bike.


	3. Terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins  
> Dangerous - Shaman's Harvest

Gemma was definitely not having a good day.

It had started out okay, but now the short strawberry blonde was coming off of yet another double shift.

She'd had three large tables stiff her on the tip after running her ragged, and the guy who couldn't keep his hands to himself had been there every night this week.

She was so done after getting chewed out for being back late from lunch, and then having to deal with Grabby McGee, who pinched her ass every time she passed and couldn't avoid him, and then calling her over to top off his coffee _every time he took a drink._

Now she was finally done for the night, all her side work done and clocked out, heading out to her car.

She unlocked the driver door, slid inside and put the key in the ignition. But when she turned the key all she got was an awful whining noise. Her chest tightened with anxiety.

"No, don't do this. Not tonight, please." She begged. She tried the key twice more, both times getting the same reaction. Letting out a breath she let her head fall against the steering wheel with a dull thunk.

No, tonight was definitely not her night. She gathered up her purse, pulled her cellphone out and dialed her manager's personal number. He answered on the fifth ring.

"Yeah?" He sounded irritated.

"Hey Dan, my car isn't starting. Is it okay if I leave it here tonight? I'll get it fixed tomorrow." She didn't quite know how he would react.

"Yeah, you can leave it parked, just lock it up. You need a ride home?" Dan asked, his voice having softened considerably.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks Dan. I owe you." She said, starting to gather up her things.

"Don't worry about it. You be safe Gemma." Her manager said before he disconnected.

Gemma sighed, dropping her phone into her purse. She gathered up everything she didn't want to leave overnight and got out of the car. Locking up, she headed for the road. It wasn't far to the house, but it was going to suck anyway. Gemma didn't really want to walk it. Oh well. Hefting her bag over her shoulder she started in the direction of home.

***

Gemma looked over her shoulder yet again. She felt like someone was watching her.

She tried repeatedly to convince herself that it was just her imagination, that the darkness didn't make her nervous. But she was failing.

She was only a few blocks from home. Just a little farther and she would be safe.

The echo of footsteps behind her made her break out in a panicked sweat. She quickened her pace, glancing over her shoulder once again.

She almost let out a sigh of relief, but when she turned back around she tried to scream as an arm snaked around her and a hand clamped over her mouth. Her attacker's other arm wrapped around her middle like a vicegrip, pinning her arms to her side so she couldn't fight back.

Tears streamed down her face as she was dragged back into an alley and pinned against a wall, her assailant behind her.

She struggled to get free, thrashing and trying to bite down on the hand over her mouth. Until the man, and it was definitely a man, slammed her head against the bricks, stunning her.

While she was dazed her attacker took full advantage and shoved a was of fabric in her mouth. He ripped her pants down her legs and shoved a knee between her legs.

She whimpered and tried to twist away, but between the blow to the head and the man's strength advantage, she didn't have a chance.

Gemma had never been the praying type, but she prayed now.

The man who intended to rape her shoved her legs apart and ripped her panties down as he positioned her. Then the sound of a zipper sent a fresh surge of fear and desperation through her. She regained some of her senses, adrenaline e pumping through her system. She realized that her would be rapist had neglected to secure her legs. She lifted a foot and drove it down on top of his hard. He flinched and made a pained sound. Before he could recover the scrappy redhead brought her foot up between his legs hard.

He let out a shriek and dropped her. She didn't waste any time, yanking her pants up and taking off like a shot. 

"Help!! Somebody help me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She bolted from the alley and straight down the sidewalk towards the boardwalk. Where there were people.

She heard her attacker cussing, recovering g enough to follow after her. The pounding of feet on pavement drove another spike of adrenaline through her bloodstream and she ran as hard as she could. Just as she opened her mouth to scream again a deep, primal roar of rage sounded behind her. 

The sound of flesh hitting flesh reached her and she turned to look behind her before her brain could tell her it was a bad idea.

She saw a streak of white drop down from above onto a man dressed in black from head to toe. Gemma tripped and hit the pavement hard, eyes locked on the scene behind her. A scream of pain and fear came from the black figure, her attacker, and a spray of crimson shot into the air. A sickening crunch and the man who had attacked her lost his head. Literally.

And there, standing in the aftermath of the carnage was Paul, the man she had met only a few nights ago. But his face was contorted I to a grotesque facade, almost demonic in appearance, blood smeared down his face and covering his clothes, the sharp glint of fangs in full view as he stood panting, bright yellow eyes locked on hers. In one clawed, bloodied hand he held the severed head of the man who had been intent on raping her.

And then the pronounced features receded, leaving the gorgeous blonde man covered in blood, a monster no more. He tossed the head aside and wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt, stepping toward her.

A whole different kind of primal fear washed over Gemma then. She whimpered and crawled backwards, away from him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Are you hurt?" He held up his hands in a harmless gesture. He edged closer slowly, like approaching a scared animal.

Gemma sobbed suddenly and curled in on herself, too afraid to fight off another attack. Especially from a monster. She shut her eyes tight and waited for him to kill her.

Gentle hands touched her shoulder and her forehead, brushing the hair away. She flinched hard. He touched her again, experimentally. When she didn't jump this time he carefully slid an arm under her and picked her up, cradling her to his chest. A rush of air around her made her peek her eyes open, only to see the sky rushing past over their heads. 

Gemma felt faint and dimly noted that she must be going into shock before her brain shut off and everything blacked out.

***

Gemma camespokend to the sound of raised voices and things being slammed around.

She didn't register much else because as soon as her awareness came back a blinding headache crashed down on her.

She couldn't even remember her own name, it hurt so bad. And then there was a soothing coolness on her forehead that made the pain recede.

Gemma opened her eyes to find a pair of unreadable brown ones watching her.

She blinked a few times before she realised she was staring into the eyes if Ronnie's friend Dwayne.

"Better?" He asked quietly. Gemma nodded, and winced as a spike of sharp pain lanced through her skull.

"Yeah." She croaked. It was then she realised her throat was dry as a desert.

A glass of water was handed to her and Dwayne slid a hand behind her back to help her sit up. She took several sips of water, not wanting to make herself sick by drinking too fast.

"Thanks." She said, sounding a lot more like herself, though still hoarse. Dwayne nodded and got up from her bedside and crossed the room to a door.

As soon as the door opened the yelling outside ceased.

"Is she awake?" Two voices corused, one male, one female.

Dwayne didn't speak but he must have indicated that she was because suddenly a frazzled Ronnie burst into the room, followed by a slightly less hurried Paul.

At the sight of him a surge of primal fear took her, the image of him with fangs and claws, covered in blood flashed through her mind.

He looked completely normal now though, and Gemma couldn't help but think that maybe it had been a hallucination caused by the stress if the ordeal.

"Gem, are you okay? Feeling any better?" Ronnie searched her friend over for any sign of distress. Clearly the raven had been going out of her mind with worry.

"Yeah, I think so." Gemma replied, tearing her eyes away from the blonde man at the foot of the bed.

 "Good. We were worried there for a while. Your head looked pretty bad when Paul brought you in." The older girl said. She gave Gemma a watery smile. Gemma returned it.

"I think I'm okay. I don't feel nauseous or anything. So no concussion. Obviously I didn't need stitches. And I don't think anything happened before Paul showed up. So I'm okay. Pretty shaken, but okay." She told her friend. Paul shifted from foot to foot, clearly agitated about something.

"So. You gonna ask or not?" He said from where he stood, hands in his jeans pockets. He wouldn't look at her and he looked like he was ready to bolt at any moment, all loose limbs and exaggerated nonchalance.

All the color drained from her face.

"Ask about what? About what happened back there?" Gemma asked shakily. Paul nodded. Gemma swallowed hard past the lump that had formed in her throat.

"How much of it was real? Everything got really hazy after he bashed my head into the wall." She started. Paul still wouldn't meet her eyes.

"No, he didn't rape you. And your injuries are mostly superficial. But that isn't what I meant." He told her. There was something about the way he said it that told her he knew that she already knew that. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Was... What happened after I got away, was all that real?" She really didn't want to know the answer. She would rather pretend it was all some hallucination brought on by the trauma her mind had experienced.

"You mean what I did to him? What I am?" She nodded, her throat closing up. She struggled to breathe. She couldn't process what he was alluding to.

"Oh God. It can't be real! What I saw was just a hallucination." She covered her face with her hands, trying to rationalize everything. He couldn't be telling her that what she had seen was real. Maybe he just meant that he had killed the guy by some normal means and that he was a murderer. Not some kind of monster.

"No Gem, it wasn't. It was real." Ronnie whispered. Gemma's head snapped up and she stared her friend down. There was a sad certainty in the other girl's impossibly green eyes. Gemma shook her head as reality sank in.

"No. No. It can't be real. Monsters aren't real." Tears flowed freely down the redhead's cheeks. Her shoulders shook under the force of her sobs.

A growl rent the air. Two pairs of eyes snapped to Paul, who stood unnaturally still, muscles clenched and stance stiff.

"Paul. Out." Ronnie snapped. Even Gemma could feel the power in the command. The tall blonde male turned and practically ran from the room.

"What was that?" Gemma queried out loud, bewildered.

"Paul has... Issues." Ronnie stated evasively, watching the door long after the blonde had disappeared.

"Ah. Okay." Gemma said sarcastically. Ronnie turned her attention back to her friend.

"We need to talk about what this means for you. You knowing about us complicates things." The raven said.

"Us? You're one of them? And by the way, what are they exactly? Because all I remember is a fanged, clawed monster. No offense, but there's kind of a lot of possibilities here." Gemma's frustration with the whole situation was starting to get to her.

"Uh, yeah I'm one of them. Well, half anyway. And we're vampires. But I know what you mean." Ronnie explained calmly. Gemma looked at her best friend flatly.

"Vampires. Seriously." It wasn't a question. The dark haired girl nodded solemnly.

"Seriously. Vampires." The statement was so blase that Gemma didn't laugh. Wanted to, but didn't. The possibility of said laughter turning quite histerical was a good possibility. So Gemma clamped her lips tight and ingnored the bubble of slightly unhinged mirth. Obviously Ronnie was serious, just from the look on her face. Gemma took a moment to process.

"So, vampires like can't go in the sunlight, drink blood to survive, stake through the heart to kill 'em kind of vampires?" She asked. Ronnie nodded reluctantly.

"Huh. So do you guys have the hypnotism or mind control or whatever? Flight? Shape shifting?" The redhead asked.

"Well, not quite mind control. More like coercion. And the only shape we can shift is sort of bat-like, and its not total, just enough to be useful. The flight we have though. Took me a while, but I finally got it." Ronnie smiled wistfully at the memory.

Gemma was silent for a long time. When she finally spoke it surprised even her.

"Okay, I believe you. So why didn't you just convince me that I didn't see what I saw. Or make me believe that it really was a hallucination?" 

"Well, we tried. It didn't work. Even David tried and he is the best of us at mind games. Nothing worked. And eventually you would have figured out the truth. That's why Paul's acting like an ass. Usually there's only two options in a situation like this; turn, or die. But I put my foot down."

"So what are my options?" Gemma asked quietly. She was honestly a little scared as to what the other girl was going to say.

"Well, you can turn, or you can get a geas put on you to swear you to secrecy so you can't expose us."

Gemma stared her best friend in the eye and for a long time neither of them spoke.


	4. Unbending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> We Die Young - Alice In Chains  
> Invincible Tonight - Adelita's Way

To say that David was pissed was an understatement.

First, Paul had broken one of the main rules of the coven. He had exposed them all.

Second, he had done so against Ronnie's and David's direct orders.

Third, he had interfered in the life of a mortal. One he had been commanded to leave alone.

But David wasn't pissed about Paul having saved the girl from a rapist. Nor was Ronnie.

That was the only good thing in all of this. 

Still, shit was coming down on Paul, and he knew it.

But when he had been flying past, out hunting, he had smelled the sour scent of fear, mixed with Gemma's unique scent, and it had been as if someone else had been in control. Pure rage, stronger than anything Paul had felt in almost three decades, had taken over and when he came back into control he had been standing in that alley, holding a decapitated head, covered in blood, staring into the terrified eyes of Ronnie's friend, who had so captured his attention at that party that she hadn't left his thoughts since.

And the only thing he could think to do had been to scoop her up and bring her to the cave. To protect her. To bring her to someone she knew that would comfort her. And to bring her home, to his leader to see what to do next.

He had known the second he picked her up into his arms that he was in deep shit. He couldn't really bring himself to care.

Something primal in him was satisfied that the woman was safe. And that she was near him.

It confused Paul so much. He had never felt like this. Not even in his mortal life. Sure, women were useful for some things. But he had never felt anything for one of them other than the momentary surge of lust, which he took care of quickly, and then disposed of her.

So now, feeling so protective, and so angry over the fate of one woman. It had him twisted up in circles trying to puzzle out why.

Why her? Why now?

Paul took the last drag off his current joint and discarded the almost nonexistent roach.

He rolled another and proceeded to light up and start smoking on that one.

The haze of the marijuana helped calm his racing thoughts, helped him focus.

One thing at a time, Paulie. One at a time.

He giggled out loud.

***

Ronnie was stressed. She had just reentered the cave after her phone call to Lea explaining the gist of the situation.

According to the story they had agreed upon Ronnie had been on her way to pick up her friend after a call informing her that Gemma's car had broken down. When she had passed the alley and heard a commotion she had found Gemma unconscious and the man who had attacked her had fled when he heard Ronnie's bike.

It left Lea thinking that there was a potential rapist still out there, but they didn't have much choice. 

Lea had agreed that it was best for the younger girl to be there with Ronnie surrounded by three men who would protect her. Gemma had agreed to stay until the geas could be pit on her. And regardless of the fact that Ronnie had become a half monster, she was still Gemma's best friend, and she wanted someone familiar and safe near her after everything. The poor girl had finally passed out not long ago in Ronnie's old room.

Now that that was taken care of there was the other issue at hand. Paul's sudden change.

David and Dwayne had talked about it and filled her in as to what they believed was going on.

There were really only two options for why he had gone from normal stoned blissful Paul to aggressive and standoffish. He had snapped at both David and Dwayne when he had brought Gemma to the cave. The only person he let close was Ronnie, and it was her that had eventually ordered him away from Gemma's side so they could see to her.

Option one wasn't likely, being Paul going feral in response to another member of his coven finding a mate, as sometimes happened with vampires.

He hadn't reacted that way from the start. Exactly the opposite, actually, accepting her quicker than even her mate had and calling her sister. They had formed a strong bond in the last months. A different one than the one between her and Dwayne, which tended toward quiet comradery, and intense bouts of bonding arguments over differing opinions on books.

Instead Ronnie and Paul were often caught at the heart of many pranks and jokes that had the other two irritated at them for their foolishness, while they laughed at the situation heartily. They had also bonded over the thrill of adrenaline fueled stunts that often had David in a huff for days after he dragged their asses out of trouble.

It didn't seem likely that he had suddenly taken issue with her presence in the pack after all this time.

The second, much more likely, option was that Gemma herself was at the heart of the issue, since Paul's sudden change had happened around the time of her arrival.

Dwayne and David theorized that Gemma was Paul's mate. Which created a much more serious problem. 

Because Paul hadn't bonded to Gemma he was more volatile and unpredictable. His aggression was likely triggered by the attack on Paul's intended mate. It had sent his protective instincts into overdrive, not only because she was human and in much greater danger, but because she wasn't mated to him, and hadn't even started down the path of building a relationship at all yet, which meant that anybody else could claim her before he had a chance.

This meant Paul himself was a danger to Gemma as well. His instincts and insecurities could drive him to try and claim her before she could be taken from him.

It had happened before in other covens. David had told Ronnie stories about other covens that had been torn apart because of exactly that. Two vampires found they had a shared mate and instead of letting her choose they had tried to kill each other, and the girl had gotten caught in the crossfire when they both tried to claim her, and ended up killing her instead.

It wasn't something Ronnie wanted to see happen to her best friend and her new brother.

It scared Ronnie that Paul might hurt her friend. So the raven was going to be standing guard over her friend until this whole situation could be figured out.

Gemma herself was terrified after what she had seen. Maybe not of Paul himself, but definitely of what he was. The primal fear scent that came from Gemma every time the memory was brought up made Ronnie want to transform and fight off what was frightening her friend, and climb into the bed and hold the tiny girl until she wasn't scared anymore. If it was like that for her, how must it be for Paul? He must be fighting himself every moment he spent in Gemma's presence not to be doing the same, on top of wanting to claim her as his.

Ronnie didn't know what to do about any of this. Sighing she made her way to what had become Gemma's room.

 


	5. Dissonance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Savior - Black Veil Brides

Dawn had come nearly three hours ago, but no matter how hard he tried, Paul just couldn't seem to find sleep.

He had been pacing his room for the last little while, trying in vain to calm his racing thoughts.

Not even smoking had helped. All the weed did was make everything fuzzy and dull the buzz of anxiety that seemed to permeate the air around him. There was no relaxation to be found in the herbal smoke today.

This left him more irritated than anything else. He laid down on his bed and tried to focus on anything else. He pulled a pillow over his face and inhaled the fresh scent of new linens from his brand new bedding and thought back to the first weeks when Ronnie had joined them.

She had left one night and returned with several bags of purloined items from a mall outlet in the heart of Santa Carla, overflowing with things the boys had never even thought about. Curtains of many different kinds that went up everywhere, several different colors of high quality bedding, which they had sorted through and picked out their favorites.

David had ended up with black and red, which was no surprise. Dwayne had chosen dark blue with lighter blue accents. Paul had been drawn to the green and silver set. He always had liked lighter colors like silver, but the green had been a surprise. He found that he really liked it.

The dozen or so pillows had been distributed among them and whatever was left had made its way to what Ronnie had affectionately dubbed the Den.

Several throw blankets had also found their way to the Den. Dwayne had claimed the one with a leopard sprawled across it as his own and it lay draped over his favorite couch beside his bookshelf. David had taken one that had a pack of wolves running in the snow as his own. Paul had ended up claiming the one with a skeleton dressed as a cowboy holding up a pistol beside its skull with a giant rose in the background. They all seemed to think it suited him. 

There were several others that no one had laid claim to. Ronnie had artfully placed them around the den on several pieces of furniture.

Then she had enlisted all three boy's help to hang several huge sets of blackout curtains at the mouth of the cave in layers, so that the sunlight couldn't penetrate the veil of material during the day at all, making it safe for them to move around the cave whenever they wanted.

It made life much easier, not needing to worry about the sun frying them if they wanted a midday snack.

They didn't need to see outside to tell when the sun had set anyway. They all instinctively knew when the sun had set, freeing them to terrorize the night.

Ronnie had yet to make her first kill, preferring to feed from David after he had hunted. But that was fine by the boys, especially after the attack and the hunters likely still lingering around somewhere. She wasn't afraid of it, and she wasn't hesitant because of her lingering humanity.

In fact she had a sadistic streak a mile wide. She enjoyed it when the boys played with their food. She even became a part of the game, playing the first victim as David savaged her in front of others, and then laughing as she revealed her dual nature and turned on the humans they fed on. It was a game to her.

Paul wondered if Gemma would be the same? She seemed far too gentle. That both disappointed and pleased Paul. He wanted her to become one of them, but at the same time he wanted her to stay just like she was. Innocent and sweet, with just a touch of naughty to her.

That thought sparked other, less than innocent thoughts. He moaned and rubbed his face across the silver sheet. It was cool and soft. The color reminded him of her eyes, that clear gray, and the texture made him think of her skin, all smooth and unblemished, with just the right amount of tan. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked. He wanted to touch all that skin and find out. She was just the right amount of curve to her tiny frame. He wanted to pin her underneath him and see just how small she was compared to him. 

He wanted to cup her ass and see if it filled his hands. It looked like it would be a perfect fit. Her breasts might be a little less than a handful, but then he had big hands, and he liked the idea that he could cover her whole breast with his hands. That just meant they would be a perfect fit for his mouth. He groaned at the thought. He wanted to wrap her long wavy tresses around his fingers and see just how silky they felt. And just how hard he could pull to make her cry out.

He wanted her, bad. He wanted to scoop her up and take her somewhere nice and private, and take his time. Learn every dip and curve of her body, every noise that he could make her make. He wanted to worship her, like she deserved. In his eyes she was perfect. He wanted to show her that. He wanted to make her scream his name as she came apart, over and over again until she had no voice left to scream.

She wouldn't be opposed to it, if the scent of arousal that had spiked every time he smiled at her at that party was any indicator.

But now every time she looked at him he only smelled fear.

"Shit!"

He swore loudly. That thought killed his burgeoning desire, like water on embers.

The sour taste of bile filled his mouth like smoke. Gemma was terrified of him now. She knew what he was, and it scared the hell right out of her. His mate feared him. Anguish washed through him. 

She didn't want anything to do with him after she had seen what he was capable of. The man had hurt her, had intended far worse. And he had saved her, but in the process he had lost her.

An ugly, primal thing rose up in him then. Something he hadn't felt in all his life, either before or after he turned.

Sure, there had always been an underlying predatory anger under the surface. It was why he made such a good vampire. He had been born a predator. But this was something on a whole other scale.

This was something that scared him. Anger and that predatory urge to hunt, to kill became blinding rage and bloodlust that took over. And it didn't care who got in his way. That was what scared Paul the most.

What would happen of he lost the tenuous grasp he had on that control? Who would end up getting hurt in the process? His brothers? His new sister? Gemma?

He clamped down on that, pushing that idea to the back of his mind. He couldn't bear it if any of them got hurt because of this thing that was inside him, eating away at him. Especially her.

He rolled over and shoved his face into the pillow.

She wasn't his anyway. She had made her choice. She didn't want to be one of them. And it was his fault, for scaring her.

He bit his lip and tried to hold back the frustrated growl that worked its way up his throat. He took several deep breaths and tried to work through the surge of that rage that clawed through his chest.

Then, out of nowhere every hair on his body stood on end and the cold grip of fear chilled him to the bone, all rage forgotten.

A scream rent the air and he was up off the bed and out the door before he even registered the sound.

He tore past Dwayne and David in the hall, both of whom tried to grab him as he shot past but missed. He bolted through the door and froze at the sight that met him. It made his heart clench in his chest.

Ronnie, disheveled and bleary eyed, black hair thrown back into a sloppy ponytail and dressed in an old baggy tee-shirt and shorts, sat on the bed with an armful of terrified redhead. Gemma was clinging to the older girl like a lifeline, shaking and mumbling, tears streaming down her face.

"No, please stop. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop..." She was chanting into Ronnie's chest. The raven was gently rocking her friend and making soothing shushing sounds as she ran her fingers through strawberry blonde hair. She looked up over the top of Gemma's head at Paul.

Ronnie's sad look almost broke him right there. One hand reached out to the traumatized girl that lay shaking in her best friend's arms. She was wearing one of Ronnie's shirts and a pair of ratty blue pajama pants that hung off of her frame making her look smaller than she really was. Her hair was a rat's nest and she had dark circles under her eyes. She made a pretty pitiful picture. Paul felt the need to take her and cradle her to his chest, as if that alone could make the nightmares go away.

One hand came up and reached out to the girl, but he stopped short and pulled back. He knew that part of those nightmares involved him. It hurt, but he knew it was the truth.

Instead he looked to Ronnie.

'Is she... Is there anything I can do?' He asked mentally. She pursed her lips and her eyebrows furrowed.

'Something to drink. And have David get something to help her sleep. I have some pills in my stuff. He knows where.' She commanded. Paul nodded and turned to do as she had told him.

And ran right into his brothers, who had been inches behind him, ready to restrain him if need be. He nodded out the door and they moved aside, following him out. He told David of Ronnie's request and headed in the opposite direction, to the den, and the refrigerator to get something for his girl to sooth her. Dwayne followed close behind.

It rankled that they were hovering like he was going to snap at any moment, and do something stupid. But at the same time, Paul was afraid that he may do just that, and part of him was glad that they were keeping a close eye on him, to prevent him causing any serious harm.

Paul shuffled through the fridge until he found a carton of milk that had only been bought a few days before. He didn't bother asking Dwayne if it was OK, even though he was the only one who really drank it, he knew the quieter man would not be worried about such trivial things at the moment. The blonde pulled a glass from the battered old cabinet that Ronnie had dragged in and proudly announced was for dishes. He poured some milk into the glass and returned the carton to the fridge.

He grabbed the glass and turned to find Dwayne holding an unopened package of chocolate chip cookies out to him. The taller vampire wore an unreadable look, but there was something almost sympathetic in the set of his shoulders. 

"Thanks." Paul grunted and took the cookies, heading back toward the part of the cave where their rooms were.

He made his way back to Gemma's room and stepped inside. The redhead was somewhat calmer now and his sister had coaxed her into a sitting position beside her. She had a spare throw blanket wrapped around her shoulders and looked a little calmer. When Paul came in she looked up.

He almost tripped over his own feet when she smiled a weak watery smile at him and reached out to accept the glass he held. She took a tentative sip and popped the tiny blue pills in her hand into her mouth and swallowed them. Paul offered her the cookies without a word. He felt his cheeks heat up. 

It was worth it to see her eyes light up when she saw what he had offered her. She mumbled her thanks and tore into the package, devouring several cookies right away.

Paul stood there watching her eat happily for a moment before a throat clearing behind him drew his attention. He glanced back to see his leader leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. The shorter blonde jerked his head at the door and pushed away from the wall. Paul moved to follow. Just before he crossed the threshold Gemma's voice called out to him.

"Thanks Paul. For the cookies." She was staring at her own hands. He nodded and ducked out the door to see what David had to say.


	6. Leaden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Tragic Truth - Five Finger Death Punch

David was waiting in the hallway just out of earshot of Gemma's room. Paul leaned against the wall opposite his coven leader and waited.

"I need to know that I can trust you around her." David got straight to the point. Paul thought about what to say.

The truth was he wasn't sure he could be trusted. Every time he was near her he felt a little more of his control slip. It scared him.

But the part of him that was in control didn't want to hurt Gemma. Or scare her again. And just now when he had burst into that room and seen her distress, the enraged part of him had subsided as soon as he saw that she was safe. Instead a stronger part of him had come to the forefront. The part that wanted to make sure she was safe and comfortable. It was this part of him that was still in control now.

He wasn't angry, unless he thought about why she was in this state in the first place. Right now all he wanted was to go back into that room, curl up around her and hold her. Let her know she was safe, and cared for. He didn't care if his sister was still there or not.

That part surprised him. Vampires were territorial. What was theirs they did not share.

David sure as hell wouldn't have been OK with anyone else being in the same room, if it was his mate in Gemma's place.

But somehow, Paul was OK with Ronnie being close to his mate.

Maybe it was the fact that she was female, and less of a threat. Or maybe it was that Ronnie was Gemma's closest friend, and the raven brought a different kind of comfort to Gemma. A kind Paul couldn't, even if they had been proper mates.

That gave him a little hope. Maybe he could control himself after all. He thought about Dwayne being  near Gemma for a second to gauge his own reaction.

The aggression and possessiveness he had initially felt upon bring the girl home were nowhere to be found.

Then again, Dwayne had shown support for his claim to Gemma by offering him the cookies that he knew would make the girl a little bit happier. By doing that he showed support for his brother's claim to her, by giving Paul the cookies to gift to her instead of giving them to her himself, thus showing he had no interest in pursuing her as a mate.

The hope begun to grow. Paul then thought about David. He hadn't had a reaction to begin with to David, as he was already mated to Ronnie, and had no reason to seek a claim on another. Vampires mated for life. There was still no reaction to David, other than irritation that he was keeping Paul from being at Gemma's side. That was the irrational part of his mind that didn't care that Gemma had essentially rejected him by choosing to have herself placed under a geas to retain their secret, rather than become one of them.

The rational part of him was trying to figure out how to alleviate her fear of him so he could try to get closer to her.

He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he wasn't going to give up.

He turned to David, ready to answer.

"I think that I can. I don't feel the same anymore. I'm a lot calmer. Worried about her, but not about anyone else." He told his leader solemnly. David gave him a skeptical look.

"Explain." The shorter blonde demanded, eyes icy and hard like the ice they resembled. Paul took a deep breath.

"It's like this. When I first brought her in I was still riding the bloodlust, and her fear was driving me a little nuts. I know she's my mate now, and for a little while I was worried that someone else would get in my way. But you and Ronnie are already mated, so no worries there, Ronnie is her best friend and only wants what's best for her friend. I understand that. And as long as I'm not a danger to Gemma, I don't think she would keep me from her friend, as long as that's what Gemma wants. And its my job to get closer to her and show her that we would be good together, right?" He stated. When David nodded he continued.

"So the only person left for me to worry about is Dwayne. And he just gave me his support, so I know he isn't going to try for her. So that's the end of that. Anyone or anything outside the pack that gets in my way is another story. But if I can get her to stop being afraid of me and start to return my feelings, then that's not a problem either. As long as there's no outside threat, my instincts won't drive me to claim her before she's ready. So I'm pretty sure I'm good." He finished, hooking his fingers into the belt loops of his jeans and rocking back on his heels. He looked up to his leader.

David considered Paul's explanation for a long minute. Then he dipped his head in consent.

"As long as you take it slow and careful, then fine. But the first sign that you're losing control, I'll have to step in. Especially since she's under my protection now." David warned. Paul nodded and turned back to go check on his woman.

"One more thing." David called. Paul glanced over his shoulder.

"Yeah?" David's stoic face broke into a wide grin, his eyes crinkling.

"Good luck brother. I'm glad you found yourself a mate." David reached out and clasped Paul's shoulder in a congratulatory gesture, grinning. And then he was gone. Paul broke into his own grin, elation bubbling up in him when he realized what this meant.

He had a mate. He had a long and hard path ahead of him trying to win her heart, but she was his, and no one stood in his way. He turned to go back to her with a little bounce in his step.

***

Gemma was just starting to feel the effects of the pills Ronnie had given her to help her sleep when a blonde head peeked into the room.

Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized him. For more than one reason.

The first was the image of him standing over that... Other monster, covered in blood. A surge of fear shot through her. She wrestled it down.

The second was because he was smiling and the sight of his very human, very handsome face was nearly breathtaking. He really was an attractive man. Too bad he wasn't human. A disappointed flutter in her belly had the blood rushing to her cheeks.

Ronnie had left a few minutes ago to do something, so it was just her. Well, her and Paul now.

He stepped inside, his smile now just a cute little half smile.

"Hey. Just wanted to make sure you didn't need anything else." He said, leaning gracefully against the doorframe with one arm above his head, propping him up. He had to know he looked sexy as hell like that, didn't he? All lean muscle, touseled hair, and sex on legs. Very nice legs at that. Gemma mentally smacked herself to get her thoughts back out of the gutter they were careening straight for.

"I'm fine!" She practically squeaked. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean no thanks. I'm good. Thank you though. It was thoughtful of you." She just knew she had to be blushing. He didn't say anything, just stood there looking at her. She almost asked if there was something on her face, but managed to bite back the question before it escaped.

"Alright then. Good morning. And sweet dreams Gemma." He purred. Her lower belly clenched at the sexy timbre of his voice. He dropped his arm and turned to go. She really didn't want him to leave.

"Wait!" She called before her brain caught up to her. He turned back.

"Yeah?" One blonde brow arched. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She closed it and tried to figure out what to say. Again, her mouth ran away with her before her brain could catch up.

"I don't want to be alone. Would you stay? Until Ronnie comes back? Or I fall asleep, whichever comes first." She mentally kicked herself for her impulsiveness. But then that heart stopping smile was back and he was coming farther into the room to take a seat in the chair beside the bed.

"Sure. Wouldn't want to leave a lady in need." He winked at her. She didn't pick up on the double entendre at first. When she finally did she was certain she turned every shade of red there was.


	7. Pianissimo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Sanctuary - Darling Violetta

Lucius Dimitriou was at a loss for what to do now. Lillith was gone.

Not in the basement, where the one they guarded slept.

Not locked in her room like she had been for the last few weeks as the call became stronger to go to the sleeping Prince of Night below.

Not in the house at all.

Her scent lingered in the air, but he couldn't find her anywhere. He had searched for the majority of the day when he discovered her absence. Tonight was the second to last night before the full moon, which meant another sacrifice was to be given to their charge tomorrow night.

Lucius couldn't do it himself, he didn't have the power. His sister held every ounce of magic between them. Only she could finish the ritual. They had only a scant three full moons before the exchange was complete and the Prince was awakened. Where the hell could Lilith be?

Worry clouded his mind making him edge closer to panic for his sister every minute.

If he didn't find her then he had failed her as her protector. He had failed her as a brother. And he had failed himself.

He knew every place she went when she was troubled. And he had searched every one of them. Nothing. So where could she be?

He jogged down the beach toward the cape, following the faint scent trail that he had picked up everywhere else as well. Maybe this time he would finally locate his wayward sibling.

The trill of a soft female voice reached his ears then, far down the beach. Maybe a mile or two. Maybe more. The cliffs played tricks with sound here. He bounded forward toward it anyhow. If it was her he had to get to her.

It came again, only this time it was from the direction of the ebbing tide. Luc stopped short and turned to peer out over the lapping waves.

There, across the water rose an outcropping of rock that jutted into the sky. It was there he saw the figure dressed in a white gown, standing at the very top where the wind was whipping the material around her form.

There was no mistaking who it was. Lilith called out to him again, all words drowned out. And then she fell.

His heart nearly burst then and there as she plummeted almost a hundred feet to the water below.

"No!" He screamed as he ran headlong into the surf.

Only to be snatched and dragged up into the air by a giggling Lilith as she flew by. 

 _Flew_.

How the hell was she flying? That had never been one of her gifts. What was going on? Lucius was very confused.

"Ha ha! Brother this is amazing!" She shouted in glee, looping around to come to a soft landing on the sand. When they both had their feet on the ground she fling herself into his arms arm hugged him hard.

"Lilith, what's going on?" He asked, bewildered.

"I think it's from my bond with Him! I just woke up this morning and I knew I could fly. It just came so naturally! Oh, it's so great Luc!" She threw her arms out and spun around in a circle. The wide, blessed out smile on her face almost made up for the fear and anxiety he had been feeling all day while frantically searching for her.

"Lil I've been worried sick! You were just gone, and I couldn't find you anywhere! What the hell were you thinking!" He snapped, angry. The hint of an inhan growl crept into his voice, showing just how stressed he was. Her face fell and she drew in on herself a little then.

"Oh. I'm sorry Luc. I didn't think. I was just caught up in the moment and I didn't realize how long I was gone." She looked at him with those impossible silver eyes. The hardness in his voice left and all the anger drained out of him.

"Gods, Lil. I was just worried. I love you. Don't do that to me again." He said, pulling her into another hug. She returned it, laying her head on his shoulder and curling into him.

"I won't. I promise." She swore to him before she pulled away.

"Good. Now how are we going to get home?" He asked in mock irritation. She looked up at him with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Race ya?" She asked. He laughed as she took off into the air, racing down the sandbar as fast as lightning.

"Cheater!" He snarled as he shed his human guise and leapt forward, all silver and black fur and deadly swiftness. Soon he had caught up to her and passed her, with a toothy grin and a lolling tongue. She shouted and sped up to catch him. They made record time back home, barely a blur to any that might have seen. He still won, as usual, but this time it was only by a hairs breadth. He would really have to step up his game now that she had the ability to fly.

They tumbled through the door, a mess of sand and gangly limbs, giggling the whole time.

For the first time in far too long they were both relaxed and happy. As short lived as it was, it was a precious gem that they would treasure.

***

Paul stayed until the pills finally dragged Gemma under into much needed sleep. He watched her for long moments, wondering exactly what he was going to do next.

He had to convince her that he wasn't the monster her mind saw every time she looked at him.

Well, he was, but never toward her. He was a vampire. A predator. He couldn't help that. But he would never do her any harm.

Just the opposite. He wanted to make her smile. To see her happy, safe. And with him.

He wanted her bad. He watched her sleeping face, wondering about what might be.

He was interrupted by a female voice behind him.

"You know, its kind of creepy, you watching her sleep like that. And a little sweet."

He turned to the dark haired girl standing in the doorway.

"Yeah?" He sat back in his chair, throwing an arm over the top casually.

"Come on. You need to get some sleep Paul. She's not going anywhere." She motioned him out the door. He pouted.

"Don't wanna." He said petulantly. Ronnie shook her head and laughed.

"Just go, you idiot. You'll be useless tonight if you don't get a little sleep. Besides, it's not like you can woo her in her sleep." She walked over and pulled him to his feet, physically pushing him out the door. He opened his mouth to protest but she beat him to it.

"Go or I will call David and have him make you sleep in there with him. And FYI, he's taken to sleeping naked lately." Paul snapped his mouth shut and allowed her to push him out the door. He looked back at the sleeping woman in the bed one last time before he gave his sister a two finger salute and headed back to his own room for the day.

He closed his door and sighed, sure he still wasn't going to be able to sleep. Things weren't as tense as they had been, and a lot had happened that was definitely a turn for the better. But he was still strung pretty tight. And for once he didn't crave the taste of pungent smoke to drive away that tenseness. Instead he just wanted to be curled up next to another body, warm and comforting, and soft. His skin itched to be pressed against another's. Hers.

He shook off the thought and dragged his shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor by the bed. His jeans were the next to go, leaving him clad in his boxers, his oversensitive skin bared to the air. He dropped down on the bed, fully expecting to be unable to sleep once again.

Instead he was out like a light in mere moments.


	8. Reverie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Living in a Dream - Finger Eleven

Gemma was warm and relaxed. The sun beat down on her from above while the sound of waves on the beach eased her into a light doze.

She hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.

A tingle shot through her when a hand ghosted up her ribs and up to her shoulder. A set of lips followed, leaving a trail of languorous kisses on her skin.

"Mmm, you taste better than I thought you would." A familiar voice in her ear sent shivers all through her. She turned to glance up at the person eliciting these wonderful feelings.

Gorgeous blue eyes glinting with mischief and lust looked right back. A smirk graced pretty, full lips framed by sparse blonde facial hair. Long blonde hair framed his almost too pretty face. Gemma smiled, realizing this was a dream. Paul was a vampire, and the sun was shining brightly. He wasn't in flames. So definitely a dream.

He was leaning over her, one hand on her shoulder and the other arm supporting him. Gemma half rolled and took in his full appearance. He was pale and beautiful. The planes of his chest were defined, not too much, but enough to be able to tell he had some muscle.

He was tall and slender, his waist tapering down to narrow hips. He was wearing a pair of trunks that reminded Gemma of the 80s with all the geometric shapes in neon colors.

"Paul. You're pretty." She mumbled, reaching up to finger a strand of hair that was hanging over his shoulder from where it was tied back. He looked incredulously at her.

"Pretty? I'm not supposed to be pretty! I'm manly and hot." He blustered. Gemma giggled.

"Like pretty boys. Nicer to look at." She smiled. He shook his head at her. 

He happened to glance down at her and Gemma finally got a look at her own attire. A strappy light blue bikini with tiny pink hibiscus flowers. It was very revealing, especially for her tiny frame. She didn't exactly have a large chest, but she had enough to have cleavage. And this swimsuit was showing if off nicely. A little flush of embarrassment colored her cheeks and spread down to the top of those breasts. Paul's eyes sparked with interest as he watched.

"Gorgeous." Was all he said before he lowered his head to kiss her shoulder again. Gemma turned her head and moaned low. He ran his tongue over her sensitive skin, drawing another sound from her. Fingers walked their way up her side to mold to her ribcage, just under the swell of one breast. 

Her hands flew up to tangle in his hair. Is was softer than she expected, and incredibly silky. Gemma tugged at a strand. Paul groaned low in his throat and slid his fingers under the edge of her top to cup her breast.

His fingers were massaging her breast, rolling her hard nipple between two fingers. Between his ministrations and the fabric of her swimsuit it was almost too much sensation. Her groin ached and she felt the wetness pooling there between her legs. Her breath was coming in shaky pants and her thighs were clenching around his hips.

"Kiss me Paul!" She begged. He pulled back from her collarbone to meet her eyes.

"Thought you'd never ask Sweetheart." He smiled a sexy slow smile. And then his mouth was on hers. His lips were soft on hers. His tongue flicked at her bottom lip. She opened to him and he deepened the kiss, his tongue rubbing against hers and twining in a sensuous dance. He tasted good, ginger and sugar, with a coppery aftertaste. Gemma kissed back hard. 

After a long moment of passionate kissing they pulled apart to catch their breath. Gemma opened her heavy eyelids, which she didn't even remember closing, to gaze up at the man above her.

His lips were swollen and red, and his pupils were blown wide. He looked completely fuckable. Gemma took her chance and flipped him onto his back, having caught him off guard. She straddled him and settled herself over his hips, his erection pressing against her core. She leaned down and kissed him again.

His hands went to her hips and dragged her to grind her down on him. They both moaned as pleasure coursed through them.

Their tongues tangled briefly before she pulled away and leaned back a little. Gemma reached back to untie her bikini top, letting the tiny scrap of material fall away. As soon as it was out of the way Paul's mouth latched on to her nipple and his tongue circled it. Gemma moaned and shifted toward him. Another spike of pleasure ran through her. She rocked her hips against his. 

One of his hands left her hip and slid into her bottoms, seeking her folds. He found her wet and slid a finger inside. Gemma let out a high pitched whine and rocked her hips again. Another finger slid inside her, his thumb seeking out her clit and rubbing.

"So tight. So wet for me." He whispered against her breast. She cried out as he thrust his fingers into her over and over.

"Paul!" She cried out as she felt the pleasure building to a peak quickly.

"That's it Baby, come for me. Scream my name." He quickened his pace, rubbing her clit faster. Gemma tensed up as the wave of pleasure swamped her as it crested. 

"Paul, yes! I'm coming! I'm-ah!" She keened loudly as she came hard, soaking his fingers in her juices.

"That's it, Baby. That's it. Just like that." He talked her through her orgasm as she rode it out. When she couldn't take any more he withdrew his fingers from her and licked them clean. Gemma almost came again right there.

"You taste good. Sweet." He informed her. She smiled shakily.

"Glad you like it. Now I want to see what you taste like." She didn't give him time to react, but slid down between his legs.

She dragged his trunks down his hips, and nearly had them far enough down to free him from the confines of his swimwear when she was suddenly blinking her eyes open to the view of the dusty canopy above her borrowed bed. She blinked in confusion for a few seconds before it sank in.

"You alright there?" Ronnie's voice asked from beside her. Gemma turned to find her best friend sitting beside her bed. She was awake, and her lovely dream was over.

"Damn it." She cursed, surprising Ronnie.

***

Paul jerked awake in his bed, yanked out of the hottest dream he had ever had. The image of Gemma kneeling between him s legs, in the act of pulling his clothes off in order to go down on him, and the taste of her sex lingering on his tongue made him groan in frustration. He was hard as a rock and aching for release.

And he wanted to be buried inside his little redhead. Her mouth. Her pussy. Hell, he didn't care if it was her fingers! He just wanted her! He craved her touch.

But that was not going to happen any time soon. But his hard on wasn't going anywhere by the looks of it.

Sighing Paul slid a hand I to his boxers and wrapped around himself. He stroked himself to completion in record time, coming hard enough to see stars, biting down on the heel of his hand to stifle his shouts.

As soon as he finished he discarded his now messy boxers and got out of bed to attempt getting dressed.

When he managed that he went to check on Gemma. She was awake and Ronnie was there with her. They were talking, but Gemma looked up at him as he peeked in.

For a second he thought he saw her cheeks flush, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. Shaking it off Paul waved a greeting to her and headed for the den to find something for her to eat.

He had a long and difficult road ahead of him, to earn her trust. So he figured now was a good time to start. And breakfast was as good a place as any to begin.


	9. Acquiesce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin

Paul was halfway through making toast to go with some fruit he had found for Gemma when she came into the den and sat down with Ronnie. 

"I have to call my boss and tell him what happened. He'll be pissed if I miss a shift." She told Ronnie. The dark haired girl pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. It was Dwayne, who was lounged across his couch with a book that spoke up.

"You sure that's a good idea? Going back? Sure you'll be able to handle it?" He inquired. Gemma glanced at him and then looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

"I don't know. But I have to try. I'm no coward. I need to face this myself and see how well I can handle it." She spoke softly. It was clear how scared she was. Paul felt pride swelling on his chest over his woman's bravery. He made his way over with the food and offered it to her without a word.

At first she just looked up at him, uncomprehending. Ronnie reached over and grabbed a piece of apple. Paul leveled a glare at her. She sniggered and bit into her pilfered apple, nudging her friend as she did.

Gemma finally reached out and took the plate from Paul. He waited almost impatiently until she picked up some toast and took a bite. Satisfied he turned to find himself something to eat. 

Paul's head was stuck on the freezer, picking through the hot pockets for Dwayne's favorite kind when David walked through the door.

"So Ronnie said you plan on going back to work?" He asked the human point blank. She paused mid bite and regarded the spikey blonde vampire.

"How- never mind. Yeah I am. Why?" She set her food on her plate.

"Fine. Bit not without someone watching your back. Ronnie will take you there, one of us will pick you up. You don't go anywhere else without one of us with you. Especially at night. Clear?" He laid bare his orders, expecting her to follow them like his coven did. She bristled at that.

"Excuse me? I'll be fine on my own David. I'm not one of your boys to order around. I'll do what I want." The redhead snapped in irritation.

"Not while you're under my protection you won't." The vampire said. Thinking it was over he turned.

"I don't need your protection. So fuck off." She snarled. David's eyes flared gold. Ronnie and Paul both saw it and moved to step in.

 _'David, don't. She's stressed, scared. If you keep pushing she'll fight it. That will only make it worse.'_ Ronnie broadcast at the vampires in the room. Paul had shifted between his leader and his woman. He didn't know how David would react to her rebellion. He didn't want to find out. They had to diffuse this bomb fast.

Gemma opened her mouth to say something, but Dwayne's hand landing softly on her shoulder made her pause. No one had seen or heard him move.

David took in the scene, his brothers and mate all siding with the human, against him.

He narrowed his eyes at all of them.

"Even if you don't want it, it still stands.". With that he turned and stalked out the entrance into the night.

Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh. 

"What the hell is his problem?" The redhead asked.

"He's worried. And he isn't used to being defied." Paul told her. The subtle scent of fear still lingered around her every time he caught her attention, bit it was quickly being replaced by something else. Something that reminded Paul of his dream. Something that carried the smell of sunlight.

That gave him a little hope that she would get over her fear of him.

"Don't worry. If you want we can hang back and stay in the shadows so you don't even know we're there. Okay?" The raven tried to placate her friend.

"No, no. I'll k ow you're there anyway, so you might as well be in the open so we can talk or something." Gemma finally gave in.

"David wouldn't push so hard, but we've paid the price for throwing caution to the wind before." Paul's thoughts went to his friend Marko, all those years ago. It never would have happened if they hadn't made one stupid mistake after another, overestimating their own strength. And underestimating others.

Paul shoved those thoughts from his head and went to the corner where his mound of bean bags were piled. He flopped down and dug under a big blue one for his stash.

He deftly rolled himself a joint and lit up to relax some. He happened to glance over to the girls, who still occupied the couch.

"Wanna share?" He called, offering the joint to them. Both girls smiled, Ronnie bright and mischievous, Gemma a not watery. They both got up and made their way to Bean Bag Mountain and plopped down on either side of him. He passed the joint to Gemma first.

After several rounds and two more joints, Dwayne sauntered over to join them. That's how they spent the majority of the night, chilling out, laughing at stupid jokes, and getting high.

Paul was pretty sure that once the munchies kicked in they would need to go grocery shopping again soon, but he couldn't care less in that moment. His beautiful girl was by his side, for once not afraid of him. He let himself drift in the haze and enjoy the moment for as long as he could.


	10. Reemerge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Unforgiven II - Metalica  
> In Chains - Shaman's Harvest

She wanted to run. Far and fast, and away.

She couldn't face her customers without wondering which one could be a psychopath. Which one of those men would try to do the same as the man who attacked her. How many already had.

Which of those families were the victim of abuse at the hands of one parent or the other? 

How many of these people his a darkness under the surface?

She had only made it through half her shift and already she was a nervous wreck.

When she had explained to Dan what had happened he had been pretty easy on her. He hadn't even been angry that her car was still parked at the end of the lot, not running. Ronnie had told her it would be running by the end of her shift. If she made it that far.

The sun had set about an hour ago and All the usual evening crowd were filtering in.

The other waitresses treated her like glass, shooting her pitying glances over their shoulders all night. Another thing that was starting to grate on her already frayed nerves.

She was two seconds away from saying fuck all and walking out.

The bell above the door chimed again. Gemma turned to greet the newest customer, only to come face to face with a welcome sight.

Ronnie was standing there, accompanied by the tall handsome blonde. He had his hair pulled back, like in her dream. The only difference was the black bandana wrapped around his forehead to keep his hair out of his eyes. He was dressed in a battered white tee with the sleeves torn off and his normal pants. No coat in sight. 

Gemma blushed hard as images from her dream bombarded her, sending a flood of sensation to places that were rather embarrassing. Especially at work.

One of the other girls stopped to stare at the gorgeous man by the door. A surge of jealous anger made Gemma step forward.

"Paul! Ronnie! Glad you made it! Can I get you a table?" The redhead asked, pulling both their attention to her.

"Yo! We're here to get the keys so we can attempt to fix the clunker out there. But if you could get us something to drink it would be awesome. It's freakin' hot!" Ronnie, ever one for theatrics, made a show of wiping her brow. Gemma finally took in what her friend was wear, having ignored her in favor of checking Paul out.

The dark haired girl wore a pair of tight gray cut-offs, a blue tank top that looked to be too big on her over a black sports bra, and a light grey hoodie tied around her waist. Her hair was tied back in a bun at the back of her head.

Gemma hadn't realized how hot it was out there.

"Sure thing! What would you like? It's on me." She put on a smile and went behind the counter to get two go cups for them.

"Dr. Pepper." They chorused in unison. Gemma just stared at them for a second.

"Oh, that's freaky. Don't do that." She said and turned back to start making their drinks. Paul chuckled at her. She popped lids on the cups and turned to hand them to their recipients.

Ronnie winked at her as she sipped from her straw.

"Thanks, Sweetheart." Paul said. Gemma smiled, her eyes crinkling. 

"Keys?" The I girl prompted.

"Oh!" Gemma went to dig her bag out from under the counter. She fished her keys out by the pegasus keychain and handed them over to her amused friend, who tossed them over to Paul. He gave a wave and was out the door to go see about her car. Gemma's eyes were glued to his ass as he walked away. It was a nice, firm looking butt. Especially in those jeans.

"Smooth. I don't think he noticed a thing." Ronnie whispered conspiratorially, clapping her hand on the waitresses shoulder.

Gemma turned beet red at having been caught checking him out. Ronnie cackled at her friend. Gemma shoved her lightly, pouting.

"So what? He has a nice butt. Its not like you don't look at David's." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Of course I do. We're ma-uh, dating!" Ronnie almost slipped, but corrected herself quickly. The redhead shook her head and laughed at the dark haired girl.

"Well, I gotta get back to work before someone says something. It may be slow, but I got other stuff to do. Be careful with my car, 'kay." With that the waitress disappeared to go check on her few customers and finish her side work. The other girl followed after the tall blond man, smiling to herself as she went.

***

Paul cussed again at the mess of an engine before him. There was no way in hell this was the result of neglect. His sister had told him that her friend took good care of her car. He could tell from the oil, the semi-new tires, and other little things that she was right. This car had been well taken care of. Well loved, even.

So the cut brake lines and the missing sparkplugs were definitely the work of sabotage. The faint scent of man lingered here and there, almost masked by the scent of motor oil and metal.

Paul was certain that the man who had attempted to attack his girl had done this in order to force her to walk home. Which meant he knew that she lived close enough to walk home if her car were to break down.

That meant he had followed her home at least once.

Rage ignored in the pit of Paul's stomach. He wished briefly for another chance to rip the bastard apart.

He had to focus on the car, so he tamped that simmering anger down. Ronnie was right beside him, holding the light so he could 'see' what he was doing.

For once he wished they had more than motorcycles. His bike couldn't pull a full size care even if he wanted it to. Which left them stuck here playing human while he tried to figure out exactly how mich damage had been done to the old Subaru.

By the time he figured out what was wrong with the once reliable vehicle, it was getting close to closing time.

"Fuck. There's no fixing this.he cut the brake lines, jacked the spark plugs, and fucked with the head gasket! How the hell did he do all this without somebody seeing him?" Paul was so frustrated he was ready to shove the whole damn car off the edge of a cliff.

"Damn it! That means we gotta get this damn thing back to the cave somehow and figure out how to fix all this." Ronnie threw her hands up.

"How are we going to do that? All we have are bikes. They can't pull this damn thing." He sniped.

"Huh. Well, what if we tried flying it to the cave? Would we be able to lift it with all four of us?" She asked quietly. Paul stopped and thought about it for a minute.

"Maybe. It won't be easy, that's for sure, but just maybe we could manage it. I'll have to talk to David and see what he says though." He said, wiping his hands on his shirt and dropping the hood.

"I'll worry about that. You worry about getting Gem home safe. Tell her I said goodnight." Ronnie said before she slipped off into the darkness to take flight without being spotted.

Paul glanced back at the restaurant door nervously. He was honestly a little worried about how Gemma would react to being alone with him. Oh well. He steeled himself and went to wait for her to get off work.


	11. Reconnect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Excitable - Def Leppard  
> Hot Summer Night - Meatloaf

Wiping down tables, and waiting for the few stragglers to finish eating and pay their tabs, she was deep in thought.

Gemma was nervous. She hadn't really been alone with Paul since that night. Alone in a room, sure. But Ronnie and the others were all within shouting distance.

Now she was going to be well and truly alone with him the whole way to the house.

At first she was afraid that it would trigger the fear she had felt that night when he... Turned into a monster.

But to be honest, she was kind of starting to get over that. How she wasn't sure, but she no longer felt the visceral, all consuming terror when she looked at him. It had been replaced by something else entirely.

Maybe it was because of the way he was with her. Gentle. Sweet. Caring.

He had brought her cookies. Stayed with her when she didn't want to be alone for fear of the nightmares coming back. Brought her breakfast, taken her side over David's, even if the result was still the same, and then smoked with them, which helped her relax and work through everything without panicking. Now he was out there trying to fix her car.

Maybe he wasn't as much of a monster as she had initially believed.

Then again, he did kill people and feed off their blood to survive. But Ronnie would be the same after she completed the turn. Right now she was still only a half vampire, which gave her several advantages over David and his brothers. Like being able to go out during the day.

But she had confessed to Gemma that it was getting harder to resist. And feeding off David was only helping so much. Pretty soon her best friend would give in and become a full vampire.

But Gemma couldn't say if that was good or bad.

Santa Carla had always been a haven for runaways, punks, and a criminal element that David and his boys seemed to be keeping in check. They liked to target gangs like the Surf Nazis, and a few others that were pretty bad in other cities, but more of an annoyance than a danger here.

Maybe it was a good thing.

And maybe Gemma was trying to rationalize the guy she liked being a bloodsucking killer.

Sighing she wiped down another table and moved on to the next.

She was nearly finished, the last couple having headed to the cash register to pay and go a few minutes before, when Paul walked in and slid into a booth by the door. Gemma was apprehensive as she approached.

"Um, so how bad is it?" She asked, fiddling with the damp cloth in her hand.

"Bad." Was all he said, shaking his head. Her face fell at that. She had been hoping that it would be an easy fix and she'd be driving her baby again in no time.

"Alright. I'm almost done. I guess let me finish up and you can tell me what's wrong on the way home." She turned to go finish the last bit of her nightly routine.

In no time she had her section swept, mopped, and clean, ready for the next morning. She snagged her purse and stuck her head into the kitchen to inform Dan of her departure. He waved her off and she went to clock out at the register before meeting Paul at the door.

"You work this late every night?" He queried.

"Not every night, just sometimes." She replied, twisting the strap of her bag between her fingers. He didn't say anything else for a long time after that, just followed quietly behind her as she walked out of the restaurant and headed across the lot to her car.

She opened the door and started gathering up things she didn't want to leave in the car. She shoved everything into her bag and closed the door. She patted her jeans pocket for her keys, forgetting about giving them to Ronnie earlier.

The jangle of keys drew her attention. Paul was holding out her keys. Gemma reached out for them.

After the car was locked she glanced down the boardwalk. There were still quite a few places open, including the Giant Dipper and the carousel. Sunny Daze tended to shut down pretty early, by boardwalk standards.

Many of the nights that she got off at a reasonable time she would wander around for a while, riding rides and enjoying herself. She thought about it, but ultimately dismissed the idea and headed in the opposite direction, toward home.

"Hey, it's still pretty early. You want to get something to eat? I'm starving." Paul asked slyly, having seen the look of longing in her eyes. Gemma bit her lip.

Truthfully she did want to go wander the boardwalk. But at the same time she was still dealing with the aftermath of her attack. She didn't think she could handle being around that many potentially dangerous people.

As if he had read her mind, (he actually had) Paul reached over and pulled her closer to him.

"You're perfectly safe. I'm more dangerous than anybody out there tonight, and you know I don't bite. Well, mostly." He joked. Gemma tensed up at that.

'Too soon! Too soon, idiot!' He mentally berated himself.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that-" he tried to fix his blunder.

"No, no its OK. You're right. I'm safer with you than anywhere else. You know what, I think I do want to go get something to eat. I don't ever eat at work. I'm starving." She burst out, partially trying to smooth over the awkward atmosphere, and partially trying to shove her own misgivings under the rug. It had been a while since she'd been able to do anything fun, barring the party that had led to her meeting Paul in the first place.

So she worked up her courage and slipped an arm through his, and dragged him into the crowd, determined to forget her worries for a while.

***

Paul was just the smallest bit afraid of the tiny girl in front of him. Afraid, and yet very impressed.

"You have some hellacious aim. Remind me never to piss you off." He said as the attendant handed the smug girl a stuffed... Something. He couldn't tell exactly. It looked like a big yellow fuzzy ball with wings. And... teeth? Was that supposed to be a vampire bat? Before he could ask she handed him the fuzzy winged ball.

"I thought you'd appreciate the irony there." She commented. Paul stared down at the-- he refused to call it a bat!-- fuzzy ball's large red eyes.

"Uh..." Was his reply. She only laughed and dragged him away from the milk bottle toss and on toward the line for a food stand that was plastered in bright colored posters advertising different foods. Some of them Paul had never heard of before. Then something one of the patrons ahead of then was chowing down on as they walked away caught his attention.

"What is that?" He asked, bewildered.

"What, you've never seen a deep fried Twinkie before?" She asked. He shook his head. He was curious. His brothers had never been as big on food as he was, being stoned out of his mind most of the time, and getting the munchies so often. Paul had tried a lot of things, but he was curious to see what humans had come up with in the time that he and his brothers had gone to ground.

"I wanna try it." He stayed. Gemma laughed at him. A few minutes later he had picked out several things he wanted to try. He stepped up to the counter and rattled off his order then turned to his companion for her order.

"Fried pickles, a large order of chili fries, and two fudge sundaes please!" She chirped happily. When the man told them the cost Paul almost did a double take. Damn prices had gone up in the last few decades. 

He dug in his pocket and fished out a wad of bills, throwing a couple twenties on the counter before Gemma had a chance to pay. The redhead gave him an unreadable look, but he ignored it. When the man handed them their food, and Paul's change, they wandered over to a cluster of picnic tables and sat down.

Gemma started digging in, making little happy noises as she bit into her fries that had Paul shifting in his seat. He tried to ignore his reaction to her and picked up his deep fried Twinkie. When he bit into it and the flavor burst across his tongue he moaned.

"That's awesome!" He exclaimed. When he looked up at Gemma she was staring at him, cheeks turning pink, holding a pickle slice halway to her open mouth.

Feeling playful, Paul leaned over and took the pickle from her fingers with his teeth, barely grazing her fingertips as he did.

"Paul!" She yelled as he sniggered. The pickle actually tasted pretty good too. But he was a sucker for the sweet stuff. He went back to his Twinkie and funnel cake, and left the flustered redhead to her food.

A little while later he had scarfed down all of his meal and was eyeing her chili fries. She gave him an annoyed look and held out a couple of liberally chili and cheese covered fries to him. He smiled and leaned in for a bite.

"You know, you eat like a vacuum." She commented.

"Do not." He argued indignantly through a mouth full of food.

"You do too! You inhaled everything you had and now you're after mine!" She argued back in mock exasperation.

"Not my fault you eat slow. And I told you I was hungry." He sneaked another fry off her plate before she could stop him. She glared at him and pushed a sundae in his direction.

"There. That's yours anyway. Now leave my dinner alone." Tossed him a plastic spoon.

"Awe, you shouldn't have." He cooed at her, batting his eyes dramatically.

"Goofball." She giggled and scooped the remainder of her fries up before going after her own ice cream with a fervor that made Paul stop and stare, until she noticed and mumbled at him to quit staring.

She seemed to have completely forgotten her fear of him.

His chest warmed up and constricted almost painfully.

***

Gemma dragged Paul from ride to ride until they were both tired and a little dizzy. They wandered around for a while until they ended up sitting on a concrete partition out by the beach, watching the tide as the boardwalk started shutting down for the night. Gemma was just starting to doze.

Paul looked over when she leaned over on his shoulder out of the blue.

The sight of his cute little redhead leaning on him, eyes closed, made his chest ache. The scent of roses filtered through the air, making him breathe in deep to savor the smell. It made him lightheaded.

He studied her face. She was so beautiful in the moonlight. His gaze caught on her lips. All at once the dream came back to him. He wondered if her lips were as soft as they'd been in the dream.

He wanted to find out so badly. He didn't catch himself leaning toward her until his mouth was a hair's breadth from hers. Her pretty gray eyes fluttered open at that moment.

His blue eyes widened and he started to pull away, but her fingers on his cheek made him freeze. Her eyes drifted closed again and she leaned toward him a fraction. Just like that his control dissolved and he closed the distance.

His lips met hers and he moaned quietly. Her lips were softer than he had imagined they would be, and fit against his perfectly. His hand came up to cup her face and hers grabbed ahold of his shirt in both fists.

Paul moved his lips over hers, eliciting a sweet noise from her, not quite a moan, not quite a whimper. He licked at the seam of her lips and she opened to him.

She tasted better than he had imagined, that sunshine warmth and the hint of sugar that had him hooked the second his tongue met hers. She kissed back hard, tongue lashing at his. Her teeth grazed his lower lips and he hardened instantly.

He turned and pushed her back and down, to the sand and grass behind them. One of his legs slotted between hers, the denim of their jeans created a tingling friction that drove him a little mad.

His fingers delved into her strawberry blonde hair and tugged. She cried out into his mouth and he swallowed it down, pressing closer. He ground against her hip, letting her feel his arousal.

She broke the kiss, gasping for air. The aroma of roses thickened.

"Paul..." She whispered. It was almost a plea.

"Gemma." He answered, voice rough with want. Then she was kissing him again, deft fingers tugging at his shirt until it was high enough for her to slip her hands underneath and map the planes of his chest and stomach.

One of his hands quested down and slowly inched her tee-shirt up, exposing her smooth belly. His fingers slid under the cloth and up over her ribcage.

When his fingertips met the edge of her bra he broke the kiss and looked down at her.

Her eyes were hooded and lust-blown and her lips were puffy and red from their kisses.

"Baby is this okay?" He asked her permission. A modicum of realization came back to her eyes and she bit her lip, looking up at him nervously. "If you don't want this we can stop right here, no harm done. Just say the word." He whispered, hand withdrawing from the confines of her shirt.

"I... I don't know. We shouldn't. But I..." She turned her head away from him. Indecision made her squirm. His erection was still grinding into her hip and he was so inviting. She really wanted to see if he looked like her dream version of him with no shirt. And maybe this time she'd get to see all of him...

Her cheeks flamed and she turned to look up at him again. He was carefully holding himself away from her, trying to give her the space to decide. His blonde hair was disheveled and falling out of its ponytail, and the moonlight was reflecting on his pale skin, making him almost seem to glow silver in its light.

He was gorgeous, and her heart swelled at the sight. She wanted this man. Had wanted him from the night she met him. And damn it, here he was, offering himself up for her to enjoy. And she was being stupid by sitting here, trying to decide something that her body had already decided for her. The heat between her legs was proof of that.

Instead of questioning herself any more she went for what she wanted.

"Fuck it." She said, reaching up to pull him back down into another kiss. Taken off guard, he blinked a couple of times before his head caught up with the times and he kissed back. His fingers slid up their path on her skin once more and slipped under the cup of her bra. Her tiny nipple was hard and dug I to his palm. He grained and massaged the soft globe as his tongue fucked her mouth.

She mewled and thrust her chest up to meet his touch.

He pinched and rolled the bud between his fingers then shifted over to the other and did the same, making her tense and pull away from his mouth, breathy little moans escaping her lips.

His mouth latched onto her pulse point and he sucked at the skin. He inhaled her luscious scent up close. His other hand worked the button of her jeans until it popped loose, and then dragged her zipper down.

His fingers worked inside, brushing over soft satin and lace until he located her core, hot and damp even through her panties. He slid a finger under the edge of the material, teasing her bare folds before he slid one long finger inside her. Her heat clamped down on the digit instantly.

"P-paul... Ah!" She moaned his name. He almost came right there.

"Fuck, girl. That's hot." He muttered against her skin. His finger worked her as she moaned beneath him. Her fingers dug into his sides and her legs clamped down on his hips. She rode his hand, rolling her hips to meet his thrusts.

He slid a second and third fingers inside together, stretching her and delving deep. 

Pleasure was building in her core, hard and fast. Gemma threw her head back and fucked herself on Paul's hand, wringing a gutteral groan from him. He was grinding his cock into her leg as he worked her.

In the midst of it all she was drowning in pleasure. It was building higher, coming to a razor point. When he swiped his thumb over her clit and thrust his fingers into her a little harder than before she felt that dam breaking.

"That's it Baby." Paul whispered against her ear.

She came hard, grinding herself against his hand in short thrusts. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and bit down as she cried out. He pumped his fingers hard into her a few more times before he withdrew. She released his shoulder and laid back against the ground, floating in the aftermath of one hell of an orgasm. She looked up at Paul, eyes glazed over.

Just in time to see him bring the fingers that had just been buried in her sex to his mouth and suck them clean.

She tasted exactly as she had in the dream, sunlight, sugar, and the musk of sex, with a hint of floral perfume. He couldn't wait to taste that, right from the source. But that would have to wait for another time. Right now he had more pressing concerns.

Like the fact that he was so turned on that he needed to get off. Right. Now. If he didn't he was pretty sure he was going to explode. He reached down to his belt and started working it loose. Gemma's dainty fingers covered his and helped him rid himself of his belt and had his fly down in seconds. Her fingers reached into his jeans and wrapped around him.

He felt the rush of precum that dribbled down his shaft as he was exposed to the night air.

"Wow." She said as she took his length in hand and began stroking. He was impressive. Paul's head dropped to her shoulder.

"You keep doing that I'm gonna cum everywhere." He told her. She made a sound in her throat and pumped him hard three or four times before she released him and started fumbling with her own jeans.

"Help me get these off." She commanded. He looked almost dumbstruck for a second before he grabbed her jeans and dragged them down her hips, followed by her light pink panties. 

As soon as her pants hit the ground she had ahold of him and was guiding him to her entrance.

The head of his cock nudged at her slit and he bit back a whine. And then he was sliding into her slick heat in one go.

Gemma whimpered and lifted her hips to accommodate him. It was still a bit too much, but she ignored the stretch as he bottomed out. They both lay there panting, still for a moment. And then he started to move.

Sparks of sensation stronger than anything she'd ever felt before shot off in her womb. She let out a broken, breathy moan and rolled her hips to meet him as he slid back into her.

"Fuck, so tight." He told her. She hissed in pleasure and urged him on.

He grabbed her slight thighs and lifted both her legs to wrap around his waist.

"You ready?" He asked. She nodded rapidly. He held on and quickened his pace,  sliding home and making her cry out on every thrust. He was close, and he knew this wasn't going to last long, but he wanted to make it good for her. He released one of her legs and moved to her clit, circling it with his thumb.

Gemma tensed and shoved one of her hands to her mouth to muffle her loud moans, lest they get caught by someone out here in the open like this. They were already taking a huge risk.

Pleasure that had been building slow and steady, jumped as his thumb worked her clit again, and his cock fucked into her harder and faster. He was hitting a spot inside her that had warm ecstasy washing over her in waves. She was approaching that precipice again fast. Only this time it was a deeper pleasure. She tensed up as the pleasure began to overwhelm her. She bit down hard on the heel of her palm.

"That's it, Baby. Wanna feel you... Coming around me-- fuck, fuck!" Paul muttered a string of explatives as she came hard, drenching him, her inner walls milking him to his own orgasm. His rhythm stuttered as he came, releasing inside her. Both of them fell over the edge, bright lights dancing behind their eyes.

He collapsed to the sand beside her, spent, panting and sweaty. Gemma curled into his chest, worn out.

They fell into a light sleep, right there on the beach, half naked and utterly satisfied. Neither had the energy to do anything more.


	12. Buoyant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Cardinal Sin - Shaman's Harvest  
> One More Day - 10 Years

Gemma didn't remember anything after falling asleep on the beach, wrapped in Paul's arms. But that's definitely not where she woke up. 

She woke to the sound of a loud thunk and a hiss, and the sight of Paul's naked ass disappearing over the side of her bed in the sunlight.

She didn't register at first what had happened. Then it dawned on her. Vampire! Sunlight was deadly. She jumped from the bed, tripping over her sheets in the process and hitting the floor on her knees. She brushed the pain aside and scrambled to shut the curtains on her balcony window, the only source of outside light in her room.

The curtains were thin and light still spilled through them so she grabbed a blanket off the bed and threw it up over the window, rigging and tucking it so it stayed in place and blocked out the light.

As soon as she was done and the room was dark she stumbled to her bedside lamp and flipped it on. She knelt to check on Paul, who was cowering under the bed still.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, conscious of the fact that it was early morning and her roommates were probably asleep. Paul was curled up in the fetal position against the wall at the head of the bed, where it was darkest.

"Sunlight." He hissed.

"I know. I got it covered. The only light in here now is from the lamp." She explained. He still didn't look up at her.

"Okay. Can you give me a minute? I don't want to scare you." He asked, distressed.

"Okay, I'll be up here." She said and stood. She went to grab something to cover up with, having finally discovered that she was completely naked now. She threw on an old tee-shirt and a pair of shorts, forgoing underwear for the time being. She went to sit in her chair beside the window that was now covered.

After fifteen or so minutes, he finally came out of his temporary haven. Gemma cringed in sympathy at the sight of the large red welts and blisters covering part of his side and shoulder. He sat down on the edge of the bed and inspected the wounds. Gemma would have been distracted by his nudity, bared in full view now, if she hadn't been more concerned with his injuries.

"Is it going to be alright?" She asked. He looked at her, a slightly pained expression masking his features.

"Yeah. It will be. Tonight when I can get out and hunt." He told her, examining a rather nasty patch of blisters on his shoulder. 

Gemma paled. The image of him standing over a decapitated body, covered in gore popped into her head. His head jerked up, a panicked look on his face then.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry! I didn't think!" He reached out to her. She almost flinched, but caught herself in time. He still stopped short, and blew out a frustrated breath. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned away from her.

"It's fine. Really. I guess I'm just going to have to get used to it. I mean, its what you are. You can't change that." She said forlornly. He looked up at her, eyes hopeful.

"Get used to it?" He questioned. Gemma looked away and blushed.

"Well, yeah. I mean if we're going to make this a regular thing..." She trailed off. For a second he looked happy, and then pissed. And then he schooled his expression to a blank mask.

"Do you mean us? Or the sex?" He almost demanded. His tone struck a nerve and pissed her off.

"I don't know. What is it you want from me?" She snapped back. He grit his teeth and turned away.

"I thought you would have figured that out by now. I don't do this. This isn't me. If I want a good fuck, I go find one. I don't beat around the bush, playing fucking mind games 'til I get what I want. And I don't fucking care if the women I fuck are afraid of me or not. They don't survive long enough to matter. So does that answer your question?" He snarled at her. Gemma was taken aback by his words and the flash of his eyes from blue to gold.

She cringed away from him, tears pricking her eyes. Fear burst in her gut, its icy fingers chilling her to her core. His expression went from angry to upset in an instant, then to resigned.

"I'm sorry. But I thought you knew. Don't worry, as soon as the sun sets I'll be out of your hair. And I won't intrude on you hanging out with Ronnie, either." He turned and snatched up his clothes from the floor beside the bed and dressed roughly. When he'd finished he flung himself down on the bed and shut his eyes, arms crossed over his chest, trying to ignore her.

Gemma curled in on herself in the chair and cried silently.

 ***

Gemma had slunk of to the bathroom to shower after Paul had dropped into a fitful sleep.

She undressed, dropped her bundle of clean clothes on the counter and turned the taps in the shower to her usual temperature and stepped out to let it warm up.

She examined herself in the mirror. Her hair was tangled and snarled, and there were dark marks on her neck from Paul's mouth. Her hips and genitals were both very sore, but in a pleasant, just-had-really-hot-sex kind of way. There were also dark bruises on the outsides of her thighs in the shape of handprints.

She definitely wasn't wearing shorts for a while.

And she would have to use some concealer on her neck to cover Paul's love bites. Not that she didn't enjoy them being there, in full view for all to see.

Sighing sadly she stepped into the shower.

She took her time, finger combing her hair, washing it thoroughly, conditioning it, and then scrubbing herself down with her favorite soap. Rinsed off and lathered up with her rose scented body wash and then rinsed again.

Once she was clean she stepped out of the shower, shutting off the water and wrapping up in her fluffy orange beach towel. She loved that thing. It was huge, and wrapped around her small frame twice. She toweled her hair down, getting it as dry as she could, and then plugged in her hair dryer and finished drying it.

When she felt dry enough she pulled her clothes on and went downstairs to grab herself something to eat.

It was still pretty early, and usually no one was up at this time of morning. Including her.

But Lea was sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee sitting by her elbow, nose in a book. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she was dressed in her workout clothes.

"Morning." The other girl greeted as the Gemma made her way over to the coffee pot.

"Good morning Lea. How was your workout?" Gemma asked.

"Haven't started yet. Thought you might want to join me." She said, putting the book down, carefully marking her page, and watching Gemma fixing herself a cup of mocha.

"Nah. Not really feeling up to it this morning. Thanks though." The redhead replied, coming to sit opposite the blonde.

"Alright. So do you wanna talk? About what happened, I mean?" Lea cut right to the chase, as usual. Gemma stared down at her cup. She took a deep breath and decided that now was as good a time as any to face her fears. And Lea was one of the best people to talk to.

"Well, truth is it was really scary. And I don't know how to start." She confessed.

"OK, how about you start with your shift that night, wall me through it step by step, and work up to the hard part, okay? Just take it slow." Lea coaxed. She was good with things lime this, having studied psychology for a while before switching to computer technology in college.

"Okay, here goes. My shift was crappy. One of the other girls quit, so I got stick work I g doubles all week. And I was having an all around bad night. Then thee was this guy who came in. He kept groping me, and finding a reason to get me over to his table. But everything else was relatively normal. Just a regular shitty day.

" So I get off work, and I go out to the car, and it won't start. So I called my boss, and he said I could leave it. I started walking, and I was fine e for most of the way. Felt like there was someone out there watching, but it was dark, you know. Just my imagination. And then a couple blocks away this guy grabs me from behind, and everything gets a little hazy. I think he hit me in the head or something. I still have a knot." She told her friend. Lea nodded and stirred her coffee.

"So what happened next. You don't have to go into detail, just basics, alright. You're doing good so far, Gem." The blonde encouraged her you get friend. She looked sympathetic and concern etched itself into her features. But she knew that if Gemma didn't talk about her ordeal, then it would make things that much harder on her in the long run. Gemma took a deep breath and continued.

"I don't remember everything, like I said, but somehow I managed to fight him off and run. And then Ronnie's friend Paul, the one I met at the party a few nights before, happened to be around and heard the commotion. He showed up and fought the guy off. I passed out and he picked me up and carried me to their place where Ronnie was. He saved my life." The younger girl finished finally. She was shaky and a little upset, but she wasn't scared. Not anymore.

And it was then that she put two and two together.

"Wait a minute! Paul and Ronnie looked at the car last night. They said someone messed with the car. Paul was wondering how no one saw whoever did it. I think I know who did it. The guy who kept grabbing my ass! He dissapeared outside a couple times.that night! I remember because I kept hoping he was finally gone. I think he was sneaking out there when no one was around and screwing with the car!" She told Lea.

"You think so? Could have been. Sounds about right. Was he being lecherous to any of the other waitresses?" Lea asked, brows furrowed.

"Yeah, but not nearly as bad. It was like he wasn't really interested in anyone else." Gemma said. 

"Well, then you need to go to the police and let them know what he looks like." Lea told her friend.

"Yeah, lime SCPD would do anything. They weren't even worried when Ronnie took me to file a report." Gemma  lied, keeping to the milder story they had come up with.

"Still, it couldn't hurt." Lea pointed out.

Gemma felt horrible for lieing to her friend, but she couldn't reveal what David, Paul, and Ronnie really were.

Besides, the geas was making it difficult to even think about telling Lea the truth. So she pushed her guilt aside and focused on her coffee. 

She and Lea talked for a little bit longer and then Lea got up to go do her daily workout, and Gemma was faced with returning to her room, where an unhappy vampire lay sleeping in her bed.

She sighed and downed the rest of her coffee, not in the mood to eat now. Instead she chose the path of avoidance and trudged into the living room, flipping the TV on and putting in one of her romcom DVDs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the first third of this story. The next part is currently in progress, but may take a little time to sort out and get put down in real words, rather than a vague concept in the back of my brain.
> 
> I wanted to leave a little shout out to one of my readers. Jackie, chapters 11 and 12 are up here because you gave me that much needed boost that kicked it into high gear. Thank you. :)
> 
> **One other thing! I am currently looking for a writing partner for a couple of projects, and possibly a mentor who is involved in all the neat challenges and other things that I myself have no clue about. If there are any takers, I'd love to hear from you! Just drop me a line, and we can exchange info. (I have no idea how to link any of my stuff here.)


	13. Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Hell is Living Without You - Alice Cooper  
> 

Gemma almost started crying again when Ronnie showed up to drive her to work on her bike. She explained to her friend what had happened after Ronnie had prodded her about it for several minutes. 

It was a good thing that Lea and Maya were both at work, because Ronnie stomped her way up the stairs and the next thing Gemma heard was a lot of shrieking and thumping, and Paul yelling bloody murder.

"I fucking Warned you Paul! Brother or not I will neuter your ass! Get out from under there now before I flip the son of a bitch!" Gemma flinched at her best friend's screaming. And then there was a dead silence that made the redhead nervous.

That nervousness didn't quite go away when Ronnie came back downstairs to collect her and get her to work.

The whole ride to the restaurant was a somber affair. Only when she dropped Gemma off did she say anything.

"Come sunset Paul will be out of your room, and I'll be the one to come get you tonight. Be careful and have a good day Gem." The darker haired girl hugged her friend and pulled away. Gemma fought the urge to cry yet again, instead heading inside. In the bathroom she there her hair into a ponytail and tied on her apron, and went to clock in.

She started her usual routine on autopilot, letting her mind wander.

The other girls and her boss kept a wary eye on her. She knew they must think she was still recovering from her ordeal, but the truth was it was far from her mind tonight. Instead she was more concerned with her fight with Paul.

In fact, there never should have been a fight at all. Paul had misunderstood her when she mentioned them. She had been referring to them, and the fact that she was developing feelings for the vampire. Monster or not, there was something there. And not just lust. The sex was incredible, but Gemma had a feeling it wouldn't have been had they not spent those few precious hours on the boardwalk together. Gemma felt like they had formed a connection last night.

But she had gotten angry at his reaction, and now look where they were. Everything ruined over a few misinterpreted words.

God, she felt so foolish. If only she had kept her temper and just explained what she meant then none of this would be happening.

Gemma finished up her usual pre shift, and headed out to the main restaurant to start checking tables. She pushed her thoughts to the back of her head and focused on her customers. But it didn't last long. She spent most of her shift mentally berating herself, or feeling sorry for herself in turns. On top of that she was still incredibly uneasy around her customers, and had made several novice mistakes because of that fact. That and she was jumpier than a frightened rabbit.

When Ronnie showed up that night Gemma was a wreck. She decided that this was it. She told Dan that she just couldn't do it anymore after everything. He was sad to see her go, but he understood. So Ronnie took her newly unimployed friend back home and the redhead bid her farewell.

***

Paul had not slept well that day after he and Gemma's argument. He felt shitty, and he wanted to apologize for losing his temper at her. But after Ronnie had shown up and flipped out he had told her everything. She hadn't been happy with him. She told him to leave, give Gemma her space, and see what happened.

He hadn't wanted to, but he didn't have much choice. He didn't want to make things worse.

He had heard her downstairs, crying and watching sappy movies. The scent of roses had been tinged with a sour smell that hurt him. He couldn't do anything to ease her while the sun was up. And now it was far too late.

Paul lay sprawled across his bed staring into the dissapointed, crookedly stitched eyes of Thing, the stuffed yellow bat she had given him.

Part of him wanted to rip Thing's crimson eyes smooth off, but a bigger part kicked it's ass and prevented that from happening. 

Instead Paul tucked Thing in a corner beside the bedpost, where he never managed to end up in his sleep, and pulled a baggie of the good stuff out from under another pillow. He proceeded to roll several joints, and smoke them back to back.

By the time he had ashed his last joint he barely remembered his own name. But he still knew he had royally fucked up.

"Fuck me." He mumbled into the crook of his elbow, his arm laying across his face. Then he promptly passed out.

***

Gemma sank into the water, hissing at the temperature. It was just this side of too hot, but she felt like she needed it to relax after her last day at the cafe, and the sex the night before. Both had combined to twist her up in knots that ached every time she moved wrong.

The sweet scented bubbles that covered the water's surface tingled along Gemma's exposed skin, adding a kind is massage to her thighs, chest and arms.

Gemma leaned her head back against the side of the tub and stared at the ceiling. She was trying to pit it together in her head how she was going to pay her share of the rent and bills now. She couldn't just drop it on Lea and Maya. No, she had to find something.

She decided to start the next morning. Tonight she just wanted to relax. She picked up her half joint from the ashtray beside the tub and lit it up. The window was open and the fan overhead was on, as usual, to filter out the smell, though it didn't work as well as she wished it would. The acrid, pungent odor of marijuana clung to her for hours afterward, and lingered in the air like a teasing phantom.

So she had several scented candles lit in her room and the bathroom, and an air freshener in the hallway to mask as much as she could.

Lea didn't mind it, occasionally joining her friend for a smoke session when life started to get to her. She generally followed that by going down to the beach and surfing for several hours during the evening and night. 

Maya didn't care, but asked that Gemma try to keep the smell down, as it gave the shorter girl a headache.

So Gemma sat in the bath, slowly relaxing and smoking herself happy for the night. After her half joint was smoked down to the roach she leaned over and grabbed the whole one that lay waiting.

By the time she was done she was pleasantly numb. The water felt like silk around her, and she was floating on a cloud of purple haze that made her want to giggle.

So she did. For several minutes, and at anything and everything. She stared at the shapes that started to form faces on the wall, the door, the sink counter, the ceiling. 

And then she spotted a pattern on the wooden door that looked like Paul.

The memory of the night before went through her head and she smiled, big and bright, and not entirely sane.

"Paul. Mmm." She lifted a hand and played with her hair for a bit before walking her fingers down her arm to her chest. She pinched her own nipple, still a little sore, and moaned. Then she ran her hand down under the water, across her stomach, her hip. When she slid a finger into herself she bit her lip and threw back her head.

She rubbed herself languidly, taking the time to tease herself before she slipped her fingers deeper. Her inner walls clenched and she roughly shoved her fingers in and out, almost like he had before he entered her.

Gemma bit down on her own sodden wrist as she pumped her fingers and twisted her hips. She came hard, a broken sob that sounded too much like Paul's name. 

After several long minutes, Gemma withdrew her fingers and cleaned herself up some. She sat up and went to work scrubbing herself down with her rose body wash, lathered up her hair, rinsed herself clean and pulled the plug to drain the water.

She climbed out and dried off, wrapping herself in her towel and heading to her room, where she flopped on the bed and tried not to think about the wild blonde again. Eventually she fell asleep. Her dreams were anything but innocent that night.


	14. Ponderance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Disarm - Smashing Pumpkins  
> Shooting Stars - Elysian Fields  
> Ballad of Mona Lisa - Panic At The Disco

Lilith made her way down the steps into the basement. Tonight was the second to last full moon before He woke, and it was time to feed him again. Exhilaration coursed through the young woman. As did strength and power that radiated out like waves from her slight form. 

Lucius was there, waiting, this month's sacrifice waiting, bound, gagged, and terrified. Lilith felt bad that they had to take this girl's life, but the entity asleep beneath the earth called for it. The ritual that the three of them had been placed under by Lilith and Lucius's grandmother demanded it.

The blood tie that bound the young witch pulled her forward. She moved as if in a trance, taking up the ritual blade that was soaked in far too much blood already, and beginning her dedication of the sacrifice.

As blood spilt onto the soil and the creature below surged upward towards it, Lilith felt the bonds begin to fray. 

This was something that she'd been warned about. He was trying to break free early. He was still too weak, but only barely. If he hadn't been so grievously injured he would have broken through long before.

Lilith knew what she had to do to prevent him coming into the world feral. She turned to Luc. His silver-green eyes met hers and he nodded. She turned back to the grave and lifted the blade against her own hand, cutting deep into her palm and allowing the blood to fall. The greedy soil drank it in.

"Sleep, my Lord. It is not yet time for you to wake. Sleep, and let the earth bring you strength and peace. Soon it will be time. Soon the full moon will rise again, and you will wake. Soon my love." She reached into the ground with metaphysical fingers and took hold of the being whose strength she was borrowing, and lulled him back to sleep. She knew she would not be able to do this again. In a month's time he would have grown strong enough to break the bonds, with or without her.

He would rise on the next zenith, and there would be no lulling him. Lilith was only grateful that it was time to awaken him anyway, or she felt that her life would end for certain on the night that he pulled himself from slumber to feast on the blood of the waking world.

She was his guide, his protector. She would take him home to his brothers. But she had to be alive to do that.

Finishing the ritual, she went upstairs to her room and washed the blood and paint, and dirt from her skin. When she stepped from the water to stand before the mirror on the wall she took in her appearance.

She touched her too thin face, and ran fingers through her long raven tresses.

A sudden urge struck. One she had felt many times before, bit had never dared act on. She turned, tucking her towel around her chest and stepping into the hallway.

"Luc!! I need you!" She called. Her brother met her at the top of the stairs.

"What is it?" He asked, almost panicked.

"I need you to cut it. All of it. I can't stand it! Gramama is the one who made me keep it, and I hate it. She used to use it to control me, remember. I want it gone. Go get the scissors, please. Tonight is the night I take back my body from the old witch." When she finished her speech she turned to him. He stood there, almost stunned. Then he grinned and bolted into her room to grab the requested scissors.

She stepped back into the bathroom and dressed quickly, then sat at the vanity and waited. Lucius returned and held up the scissors. Lilith smiled and handed her brother the comb.

"How short?" He asked, bemused.

"Very." She replied. He began the process of combing out her hair and slowly snipping away at the strands until there was barely three inches of hair in the back. He changed it up some, giving his sister the style he knew she liked. She could only hide so much from him.

By the time he was done the floor was covered in two-and-a-half foot long tendrils of black hair, and Lilith now sported a modified pixie cut with longer strands in the front that fell around her face to her chin, and a fringe that swept to the right that just touched her cheekbone. The back as spikey and came to a slight taper at the nape of her neck. She was smiling widely at the crudely done haircut. It wasn't even, not really. Just the best he could do with his nonexistent skills. But she loved it nonetheless.

She looked nothing like the black haired, green eyed doll their Gramama had dressed her as. 

"Oh, it's perfect, Luc!" She cried, touching the ends of her fringe. 

"Nowhere near. It suits you. I like it better." He told her truthfully. He eyed his own shoulder blade length hair and then the scissors. Lilith saw it and took them gently from him.

"I'm better at this. Here, sit down and I'll cit yours." She offered. He nodded and switched places with her.

She didn't cut his nearly as short, but she did cut several inches and layer it as best she could so that it fell around his face strikingly. He could still pull it back into a queue, but there would be several strands that would fall in his face. 

Nothing like the perfectly straight cut their late grandmother had forced on both of them. She hadn't bothered as much with Lucius, as he wasn't the 'important one,' but she had forced them both into some strange twin ideal aesthetic that satisfied her control issues. Both had to be perfectly manicured, a matched set only making the allowance of his shorter hair because he was male, while Lilith had been made to be a polished little doll, always perfect, dressed in her frilly dresses, hair down to her ass, perfectly brushed and shiny. She was never even allowed to wear shorts, let alone pants.

Lucius was struck with a thought. As soon as Lilith finished his hair he jumped IP and ran out the door and to his room. He returned to the confused sister he had left in his wake with a bundle of clothes he had taken from some of the girls that they had sacrificed to the being they had just finished feeding.

She took them, giving him a quizzical look.

"Well, I figured since you were cutting your hair, you might as well try these on and see how they fit. I know you hate those damn dresses." He told her. She looked down at the bundle of denim and cotton.

Luc pushed her toward the door, to go try on her new clothes to go with her new hair, and he began to sweep up the remains of both of their hair.

He had dumped the majority in the fireplace when his sister landed on the ground floor, having flown rather than take the stairs, as she had since she discovered her gift.

She was dressed in a pair of slightly baggy skinny jeans and a black and purple striped shirt. She was grinning g from ear to ear. If he hadn't been the one to assist her in her transformation he never would have recognized his own sister. She was drastically different now. And it suited her perfectly. She seemed more like herself now than she had in a very long time.

"What do you think, brother?" She asked, spreading her arms and marveling at her own appearance.

"I think that it's perfect, Lil. You look great." He told her honestly.

He knew she needed this. She had never rebelled before. He had, finally shedding the persona his grandmother had forced him into the day she died. He had thrown out all the stupid suits and jackets and 'traditional' clothing she had stuffed him into all his life, and gone out and stolen a whole new wardrobe; jeans, tees, pullovers, everything. But Lilith hadn't. She'd continued wearing the stupid dresses, gowns, and other frilly things, and kept her long hair in the style Gramama had done.

Now she was finally shedding the mold she'd been put into and finding herself. Maybe it was time to encourage her to start shopping.

Lucius pulled his sister into a hug. She was giddy, and bouncy as a puppy, and she could barely stay still.

Luc hoped that this was a step in the right direction for his sister. She desperately needed it.

***

Lilith couldn't stop playing with her hair. It was so short, and soft. And light!

She felt like she'd shed twenty pounds off her head and shoulders. And the feeling of jeans was new. Nothing like the stupid bloomers and things her grandmother had put her in.

She kept rubbing the fabric. And tugging the sleeves of her shirt. And back to her hair again.

It all felt so nice. So free!

She felt like she could finally be Lilith. She wanted more of that freedom, so she dug out the laptop that Luc had taught her to use after Gramama's death.

Luckily the call of the sleeping being below was almost nonexistent now, since she had put him to sleep. It usually eased up some after a sacrifice anyway, but he was so close to waking that the call had been constant in her head the last few months, even after the sacrifice.

Putting him into the induced sleep quieted him to the point that she could function again. She had a fairly clear head for the moment.

So she got onto the computer and went online. She looked around on a few websites until she found what she was looking for. She ordered several items in her size and put in their bank account information.

It wasn't like they didn't have money. Their family was old and monied. Not that Gramama had mucked around in social circles. She was a recluse, and a necromancer witch. She'd kept to herself.

But Lilith didn't worry too much about the cost of the clothes she had picked out. She just bought them.

She was finishing up her shopping, the excitement of being free finally sinking in and starting to settle, when a whisper in her head startled her. She'd finalized her order of several pairs of leather pants that laced up the side that fit her measurements, adding a mental 'Ahah!'

' _Wha...? Who... are you?'_

Lilith jumped and looked around for the source of the male voice that she had heard. It wasn't her brother, and no one else should have been able to get into this house. So who was talking...

' _I_ _'m ...Marko. Are you... Lilith?'_ The voice asked. Lilith was stunned! The voice was coming from the sleeping vampire in the basement! She had known that they were telepathic, and she had felt his rage and desperation, and his hunger every night almost.

But he was speaking to her! Calmly, and coherently! How was this possible? She had put him to sleep. And how did he know her name?

' _You know... What I am?'_ He asked her. He seemed genuinely curious. She wanted to answer, but she wasn't sure how. Wait, yes, she knew how to do this!

' _Yes. I do. And yeah, I'm Lilith. So you're name is Marko?_ ' She tried projecting her thoughts.

' _Yeah, I am. How... do you know?'_ His mind was sluggish, as if he was only half awake. Maybe her spell only partially worked.

' _I'm a witch, a necromancer. I've known about your kind since I was a little girl.'_ She replied. She got a mild sense of surprise from him.

' _Really? I've heard of your kind too. Do you know where I am? I don't feel the others anywhere..._ ' He sounded a little more lucid now. Lilith sighed. She knew she would have to explain eventually, but she wasn't exactly prepared at the moment. Oh, well. No time like the present.

' _Marko, its been a long time since you went to sleep. We had to bring you back from death. The others don't know you're still alive yet. But don't worry, You'll see them again._ ' She explained. His distress reached her, and she reached out to brush her mind against his reassuringly.

' _Wait... I know you... How?_ ' He asked, his mind curling against hers.

' _Because we are bound. Ever since I was a baby. I'm the one who feeds you._ ' She told him. 

' _You... Feed me? How?_ ' Marko asked, the hint of curiosity he felt bled through the newfound link.

' _Well I, uh, give you blood. Every month on the full moon._ ' She told him. She literally felt him absorbing that information.

' _Your blood? Or..._ ' He started.

' _Sometimes, but mostly its the blood of virgins we, um... Find.'_ She stumbled over the thought of where the sacrifices came from. She didn't exactly know how she felt about killing innocents, but it was what the spell required. Virgin blood held an inherent spark of magic that was an amazingly powerful fuel for necromancy. Gramama hadn't seemed to give a damn one way or the other about the deaths their craft required. Of course, Gramama was pretty heartless.

' _Hmm. It sounds to me like you don't really get along with your grandmother._ ' Marko commented. Lilith realized she needed to try and filter her thoughts, otherwise everything in her head would end up broadcast for Marko to hear. She concentrated for a moment, bringing up the mental barrier she had learned to erect when Gramama taught her about telepaths. She let only what she wanted Marko to know drift to the surface, the way the old woman taught her to.

' _Sorry about that. And no, not really. Thank the gods she dead._ ' Lilith told him.

' _Oh, that's neat. Not many people know how to block us out. How are you doing that? That's useful.'_ Marko sounded amazed. Lilith giggled, allowing him to hear it mentally as well.

' _It's just one of my abilities. Took a long time to master, but so worth it. So, Marko, how did you know my name?_ ' Lilith asked the question she had wanted to from the start of this conversation.

 _'I think I've been in your head for a while, just not really aware. I remember you talking to your brother, and that you cut your hair, and what you look like, and a few other things_.' Marko explained.

' _Wait, so like you were there, but still sleeping? Maybe you were starting the process of waking up, and you were half asleep and hearing things without really hearing or being able to respond yet? You are close to awakening fully. One more full moon_.' Lilith wondered.

' _Dunno. Maybe. So, I'll be able to meet you face to face then?'_ Marko queried, a tendril of excitement slithered through the barrier.

' _Yes. And then after that you can be reunited with your brothers. They don't even know you survived_.' Lilith thought at Marko. 

' _Survived... Oh, shit!_ ' Was all Lilith heard before she was swamped by a barage of images and feelings.

**_'Peaceful drifting in sleep. The feeling of his brothers beside him. A strange foreboding. Sudden pain in his chest, almost directly in his heart, but just glancing off the bone and to the side before it fully punctured the vital organ. A lung definitely had been, blood pooling in it, preventing him from fully drawing breath for the agonized scream that ripped from his throat with enough force to cause his larynx to bleed._ **

**_Screaming out, searching for his brothers beside him. The upside down sight of three screaming boys huddling together in front of where he was hanging, covered in his own blood. The presence of David, Paul and Dwayne at his side, in his mind. Rage, all consuming and powerful. Everything becoming hazy and fading fast._ **

**_Voices, screams, both from his attackers and his family. Paul was there, hands holding Marko as he fell to the ground._ **

**_"Marko! Marko, its OK! Hold on, just hang on, we got you! Dammit don't you die on me!" Paul's voice demanding him to live, begging. The tang of Paul's blood as he slashed his own wrist and forced it to Marko's mouth, the tang of marijuana from the sheer amount Paul smoked, the tang of pine smoke and rosemary. Suddenly it was replaced with the David's blood, all spicy cloves and cinnamon, and the musky hint of mesquite. And then came the bergamot, citrus and cherry wood flavor of Dwayne's blood. His brothers were all bleeding into him in a futile attempt to save him._ **

**_Too bad it wouldn't work. Marko felt himself starting to smoke, the fire inside becoming unbearable. Marko forced his barely functional eyes open, glancing at his leader's tear filled eyes, and his eldest brother's stoic sorrow written across his dark face. Paul was crying openly, sobbing and begging still, holding Marko to his blood soaked chest._ **

**_"No! Get away! I won't let you die with me!" Marko screamed, the demonically deep voice seeming to echo around Marko's head. He tried to push at them, but he was too weak to do much more that shift himself around. David and Dwayne let go and stepped away, knowing why, but Paul held on, clinging to his best friend like a lifeline. Marko pushed again, this time managing to loosen Paul's arms so that he rolled off the taller blonde's lap onto the stone floor. Paul scrambled to grab Marko again, but Dwayne managed to wrap his arms around the hysterical vampire just in time, as Marko felt his skin ignite._ **

**_The flames consumed him in seconds, finally dragging Marko into the darkness of death._ **

**_All this happened in a matter of minutes. The darkness consumed the last of Marko's consciousness before the pain really began, sparing him at least that much.'_ **

****Lilith shook her head to clear away the remainder of the memory. She threw up her mental barrier again, the memory having shattered it. She felt the sorrow and anger that Marko was feeling bleed through the link. She knew this was going to be hard for him. He had died. His brother's had watched him die.

Lilith knew this was hard for Marko. He cared deeply for his brothers. He never wanted to put them through the torment of watching him die. Especially Paul.

But what was dine was done. The only thing to be done now was to wait out the remaining time before Marko could be awakened, and return to his pack.

' _What happened to them?_ ' Marko asked her. She looked down at her fingers, wrapped tightly around each other.

' _They almost died too. They fought the half vampire and his friends, and almost died. Max is dead. He was staked through the heart and burned. There was nothing left to save. But David and the others survived. Barely. They almost didn't, but Vampires are resilient. Anything short of a stake to the heart, sunlight, or fire usually can't kill them. They went to ground after the fight. They slept for twenty years._ ' She told him truthfully.

' _How long have I been asleep_?' The vampire wondered. Lilith bit her lip, gaze focused on the screen of her computer.

' _Thirty years_.' She finally replied.

' _Whoa. I must have missed a lot_.' He seemed saddened by that thought.

' _Yeah. A lot's changed in thirty years._ ' She projected a few images of the world as it was now to him. The shock she felt from him was expected. It didn't last long though. Curiosity replaced it.

' _What else has changed?_ ' He asked. She smiled at his piqued interest in how the world had moved forward since he had gone to sleep. She began trading memories with him of her life, of the new technology and tranformations the world had gone through in the last three decades. He learned about the new world through her memories.

 ***

Gemma tossed and turned, unable to find rest. Every time she tried to sleep she was consumed with dreams of Paul. Disturbing dreams of him, angry and in his monstrous facade, hunting her. Dreams of him in various states of undress, hair in a sexy disarray, beckoning to her. And dreams of him with sad, sad eyes, the sun rising behind him, flames blooming across his skin as tears cascaded down his face. 

It wasn't good for her mental state, at all. It was starting to drive her a little batty. All she did lately was hole herself up in her room, listen to angry or depressing music, and smoke herself into a stupor, balcony doors thrown open to filter away the smell. Just to forget. It didn't really help. It had gotten bad enough that Lea had attempted to drag her out of her room, to no avail.

Ronnie came by every other night or so, and Dwayne had even shown up with her once. He actually wasn't so bad. He didn't talk much, but he had some funny stories when he did. It wasn't bad.

Gemma was still spiraling down. It wasn't easy. There was so much she hadn't worked through to begin with. Sex with Paul had been a mistake. She still wasn't over the whole monster/vampire/evil thing. She didn't know if she ever would be, to tell the truth.

She had nearly been raped. Nearly, but it hadn't actually happened. The psychological repercussions of the attack hadn't even had time to fully sink in.

Gemma didn't want them to. It was scary, looking what could have happened so easily in the face. Now she had too much time to do exactly that. She hadn't bothered to start looking for another job yet. Ronnie had delivered her fixed car to her a week after the fight with Paul. It really wasn't even a fight. More of a misunderstanding she hadn't even bothered to try to clear up. She knew that. It was her fault for not telling Paul that she wanted something with him more than occasional sex.

At that moment, though, the thought of what Paul was, and what was there between them, had scared her. It still did. How was she supposed to rationalize what he was? A terrifying creature of nightmare. In a way it was sweet that he cared about her. But it didn't change what he was, what he'd done. What he still did, every night to survive. Could she honestly live with that?

Ronnie had explained her situation. A vampire who hadn't even fed, except on another vampire's blood wasn't nearly as bad. But one day she would feed on humans too. Would that mean the end of their friendship? Gemma didn't want to lose the closest thing to a sister she'd ever had. But it meant accepting that Ronnie essentially _ate_ humans for dinner.

What would it mean for Gemma then? Would she just be another meal to the other girl?

Tears pricked Gemma's eyes and she scrubbed them away roughly. She tried to banish those thoughts. 

The redhead flung herself up off the bed and over to the balcony. The night air reminded her of Paul. It smelled like him, all spearmint and sage, and the smell of linen. It made her chest tight. She turned and leaned her back against the railing. She sank down to the floor. Her blue satin shorts did little to block the chill of the tile.

Gemma sighed again and leaned her head back. This whole thing was exhausting.


	15. Yearning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Zero - Smashing Pumpkins  
> Bleed (I Must Be Dreaming) - Evanescence  
> Don't Fight It - 10 Years  
> 

The scent of roses and sunlight filtered all around him, caressing him like fingers on his skin. Soft skin pressed against his bare back, warm, alive. Paul turned and wrapped his arms around the woman next to him. Only, suddenly she was gone. Her scent faded away, and the warmth dissipated, leaving Paul colder than he had been before.

His eyes opened and he reached a hand out, seeking his mate. But she wasn't there. The only thing in front of him was the wall of his room in the lair. The smell of linen and earth came to him, but there wasn't even a hint of roses.

Paul clenched his outstretched fist and slammed it down on the bed. Frustration boiled over in him. He felt his fangs descend and he let out a roar. He barely held back the rage that threatened to take over. 

After his outburst, the anguish washed over him. He drew in on himself, curling up into a ball in the middle of his bed.

It was like this that Dwayne found him when he came to investigate the sound. The darker male sighed and shut Paul's door again, leaving his brother to his pain.

He knew what it was to lose one you loved, more than the others. He'd had a family once, before Max. Before David. But that had been over a century ago. He knew what it was to grieve. So he took up a sentry position outside Paul's door, after finding one of the blood bottles that David kept around and sitting it just inside the door for his brother. Not that Paul noticed. 

***

David was fed up with this whole situation. Paul was barely eating, barely coming out of his room. When he did emerge he was barely there. Dwayne was doing everything he could to help, but it wasn't doing a lot. Ronnie was torn between her brother and her human friend, spending as much time as she could with both of them. It was starting to put a damper on his relationship with his mate, worrying her and stressing her out over this little hiccup. The whole damn pack was being effected by this.

It frustrated David enough that he finally snapped. He marched into Paul's room and essentially kicked him out of the cave, and told him to either go fix it with the human, or get his damn head together before David took it into his own hands. The other blond stared incredulously at his leader. It was almost dawn, which left the stoner few options. David made it clear what the other's options were. Paul took off, assumably toward Gemma's place. David turned around and went to drag his stressed out lover to bed. He had plans to help her de-stress that involved her not leaving the bedroom for at least several hours.

***

Paul made his way through the predawn light to the house Gemma shared with her friends.

There was little he could really do but obey David. So he made his way to the house.

He didn't expect to find Gemma passed out on her balcony, barely dressed and shivering. Regardless of the misunderstood feelings between them, he wouldn't just leave her out here. He landed gently, scooping her into his arms. She curled close to him, breathing deeply. She relaxed almost instantly.

"Paul..." She mumbled in her sleep. A small smile curled his lips upward. 

"Come on Gem. I need you to invite me inside." He told the slumbering woman. She shifted.

"Invited. M'cold Paul. Hold me." She shivered again. Paul carried her over the threshold toward her bed. He deposited the barely dressed girl under the covers and went to go daylight-proof the room. He turned back to the bed. Gemma was still asleep, but her eyebrows were scrunched and she seemed to be waking up. Panic slithered through him. Was she going to kick him right back out?

Gemma's eyes blinked opened slowly. He fidgeted, unsure of his reception, now that she was coherent.

"Paul?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, but you were cold out there-"

"Why are you here?" She asked, sitting up. Paul felt the urge to hide.

"David kicked me out. Until whatever is going on between us gets resolved." He answered honestly.

"David..." She glanced at the bedside clock. "It's after five AM. Its almost dawn." 

"Yeah. He's kind of pissed that Ronnie's in the middle of it." The blonde rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't meet her eye.

"You look like shit." Gemma stated. Paul glanced at her then. Dark circles under her grey eyes, skin sallow and too thin looking. He knew he looked the same.

"So do you. Have you been eating?" He couldn't help but ask. Gemma glanced down at her hands. 

"No. And neither have you. Don't bullshit me. We're both pretty fucked, huh." She sighed. Paul couldn't help but agree.

"Yeah, we are. Look, I'm sorry I overreacted that day." He started. Gemma looked up at him. There were tears glimmering in her eyes. He made an aborted move toward her, his instincts screaming at him that he needed to comfort her.

"Paul, don't. I don't know if I can do this." Her words cut right through him. It hurt. He put a hand to his chest, rubbing at the pain that he knew wouldn't ease.

"I know. I'm sorry to put you in this position. David doesn't understand. I know you aren't ready to see me. I wouldn't be here if I had a choice. I don't want to hurt you more. I'm sorry. I'll go." He told her sincerely, turning back to the window. He didn't know where he would go, but he had to get away.

He froze as slender fingers wrapped around his wrist, holding him in place. He could break the hold if he really wanted, he knew that objectively. But her fingers on his skin held him there like iron chains. He couldn't move, not even to look at her.

"I'm afraid, Paul." Her voice was quiet, almost a broken whisper. Before he registered what he was doing he had whirled around, arms wrapping around her, dragging her to his chest. A sob almost escaped him. The scent of roses and sugar assaulted his nose as he buried his face in her strawberry blonde hair. He breathed her in. Something in his chest loosened.

"Don't be afraid of me. I'll never hurt you." He promised quietly. Her fingers tightened in his shirt, digging into the flesh beneath. She dragged him closer, her tears finally breaking loose and spilling over. The ragged sobs that tore from her hurt him. Gemma's legs gave out under her. Paul sank to the ground with her, gathering her into his lap as she cried.

"Why? Why did it have to be you?" She managed to ask him.

"I don't know, Gem. I don't. I wish I did. I didn't ask to fall in love with you. I'm so sorry I hurt you." Paul told her. She stiffened up at his words. 

' _Shit_.' He thought when he realized what had slipped out. He closed his eyes and let her draw back from him.

"You... What did you say?" She asked, sniffling.

"I said that I love you." He opened his eyes slowly. Blue met shocked gray. She didn't say anything to him for several long moments. The pressure in his chest built every second of her silence. He was the first to look away. Staring at the carpet.

He opened his mouth to say something. Except suddenly she was there, lips on his. Her tiny hands framed his face, holding him in place. He kissed her back fiercely, one hand tangling in her hair, the other cupping her jaw. He didn't expect her tongue to lick at the seam of his lips, but he opened to her. Their tongues twined, teeth clicking softly. He held her tight, like a lifeline. 

When they were both out of breath they broke apart. She leaned her forehead against his, breathing hard. They sat that way, panting for several minutes.

"Don't leave. Please." She begged him. He shook his head, still out of breath.

"I won't. As long as you want me here, I'm here. I won't leave you." He told her. His heart felt lighter at her words.

"Good. I don't want you to leave." She grabbed his hand, twining her fingers with his. He lifted her hand and kissed it.

"God, I've missed you." He admitted. She looked away then, her eyes clouded. 

"I still don't know if I can do this. I don't- I'm not over everything that's happened. I have to work through it all. And I don't know... If I can accept you, all of you. There's a part of you that terrifies me Paul. I don't know how to deal with that side of you." She broke down and finally said what she had been thinking about for days, weeks.

"Gemma, I will never hurt you. I can't change what I am, but I love you-"

"Stop! Just stop Paul, please! I can't... I can't keep fighting this! Every time you say you love me, it scares me!" She snapped, drawing away from him, arms clutched together in front of her chest.

"Why? What does it scare you?" He demanded. Anger flared in his chest.

"Because you're a monster! You're evil, and you _eat people_ , and you- oh God! How can I feel like this about you? Its so wrong, but I can't stop, I can't make it go away! Its in my dreams, and I can't make it go away!" She was almost screaming at the end. She broke down again, sobbing and wiping at her blotchy face.

"Can't make what go away?" He asked, a lot gentler, but still angry. This was becoming a disaster, but Paul had to know what was going on in her head.

"You! I can't stop seeing you! You're a monster, and then you aren't, and you're holding me, and kissing me, and I don't want to wake up, because you aren't there and it hurts! I can't make the dreams stop. And I don't know how I can be so afraid of you, and still want you so much!" She cried out. He was shocked at her admission. Paul needed to see it himself, to feel what she felt, to understand.

"Gemma, I need to see what you see. Can I...?" He asked gently.

"What, invade my mind? You haven't already?" She dragged at her eyes again.

"No, I won't if you don't want me to. But if you let me see I can understand. And maybe I can help. I don't like you suffering. Please let me help." He tried to coax her to let him help. She was silent but she nodded slowly.

Paul reached out and probed at her mind. He found the ball of memories, clouded and painful, nestled there among her brighter memories. He slipped into that shadow.

Her dreams washed over him, the image of his other form there, chasing her, the fear flooding her. And the sensual images and feelings of him, wrapped around her, inside her, the euphoria of the dreams blinding her to everything but the pleasure of his body and hers. It was clear to him then exactly why she was so conflicted. She couldn't rationalize the monster in him with the man. She didn't understand his nature. He drew out of her mind then.

"I understand. I'm sorry I scare you. I don't want you to be afraid of me. If I could change it, I would." The ' _for you_ ' went unspoken. He pulled her back to him, cradling her to his chest. She let him hold her.

They sat that way until the sun began to rise. When the first rays began to break the horizon, Gemma barely noticed, until the blanket over the window shifted, a result of his nervousness. She got up and moved to fix the cover, allowing no light inside. When she was done she stood there, unsure of herself.

Fatigue was draining Paul, but his concern overrode it. He had moved to the bed while she was busy blocking the sunrise. He held out a hand. Gemma hesitated, but eventually took it, allowing him to pull her into his arms again.

She curled up against him. She was clinging to him, as if she was afraid that this was just another dream. Her fingers made their way up to his blond tresses, wrapping themselves in circles, as if to anchor him here. She was slowly relaxing in to his arms, the exhaustion finally bearing down on her. Before he knew it she was asleep with her face pressed into the spot just below his collarbone. Sighing, he leaned his head on hers, drifting back onto the bed. He snagged her blanket, which was bunched up at the bottom of the unmade bed and dragged it up over her. He allowed himself to drift off as well, wrapped securely around his mate.

He knew things were still unsure between them, but for the first time in weeks he had a glimmer of hope.


	16. Entwine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Because I Want You Too - Placebo  
> Love Heals - W. E. T.  
> Hysteria - Def Leppard

Lea was working again today. The shop wasn't exactly busy. A few of the regular gamers came in, picked up a few things, but not a whole lot else. Frankly, Lea was a bit bored.

She was leaning across the counter watching the lights of the Giant Dipper across the way when the bell above the door jingled. She turned to face the customer, a greeting on her lips, only to freeze. The man was dressed in surf shorts and a blue tank top. His blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, curls just brushing the back of his neck. His aristocratic features made her pause. He turned hazel eyes to her, after surveying the entire shop from his spot by the door.

Lea finally found her voice after a beat.

"Hey. Anything I can help you with?" She asked, trying to cover her slight blunder with indifference.

"Yeah, actually. I'm pretty new around here. I saw you from outside, you looked pretty bored. I thought I'd come see if I could help alleviate the boredom." He smirked. And one hell of a smirk it was. Lea felt herself flush. He was flirting with her!

"Um... I'm sorry but if you're not here to buy anything, I can't just sit here talking to you." She told him. Her heart sped up. It wasn't often that men flirted, and never someone so boldly, or anyone that attractive. Even the way he moved was attractive. So graceful. Almost eerily so. It was generally gamer needs that tried flirting, and most of the time they were painfully awkward about it. Lea usually had to let them down easy.

"Is that so? Alright then." He approached the counter and glanced down at the items under the glass. He looked back up at her. Their eyes locked, her dark blue and his hazel. His gaze was intense. Lea felt her brain stutter at this beautiful stranger who had approached her with a line like that.

She startled when he leaned forward and spoke softly.

"That one." She looked down where his long finger was pointing to a phone bundle, charger cable, case and headphones in Lea's favorite color, cerulean blue.

"Um, sure." She mumbled and reached for the key to unlock the display case and grab the bundle. She set about ringing it up for him, trying not to let her fumbling fingers show just how nervous she suddenly was.

"OK, that's $25." She said, grateful that she hadn't stuttered. The stranger pulled a wallet from his shorts pocket and handed her the requested amount, smiling a soft, mysterious closed mouth smile. Lea was starstruck with how beautiful this man was.

She took the money and keyed it into the register, tucking the bills into their proper places with slightly trembling fingers.

She handed him his receipt, almost disappointed when their fingers didn't quite brush against each other as he took it from her.

"My name is Shane." He offered. Lea blinked dumbly for a moment before her brain caught up.

"Lea. I'm Lea." She responded, feeling stupid for letting the stranger- Shane- unsettle her.

"It was an absolute pleasure to meet you, Lea." He smiled charmingly. A chime sounded in his pocket and he frowned, retrieving it. Even his frown was devastatingly handsome. Lea's brows furrowed slightly at that thought.

"I apologize, but something has come up. May I come again to see you?" Shane asked. Lea found herself nodding without her brain's permission. "Then farewell until then." And with that the man breezed out, leaving behind a flustered and confused blonde behind, watching as he moved out of sight on the dark boardwalk.

***

Gemma woke slowly. She was cradled against Paul's chest, and quite comfortable where she lay. She hummed in contentment, causing the man currently acting as her pillow to shift.

And then her brain jolted awake completely, the pieces finally clicking into place. This wasn't a dream, Paul was actually here. The whole conversation from the night before came back to her then. She froze for a moment, unsure of what to do now.

Then Paul's arms tightened around her. He made a noise in his chest and he nuzzled the back of her neck. Tingles shot straight through her, warmth spreading and coalescing low in her belly.

"Mmm. Morning. Or whatever." He said. His voice was rough with disuse and it was sexy as hell. Gemma turned in his arms to look at him. His eyes were still closed, and his blonde hair was fanned out on the pillow. The light from the little glass lamp on the dresser softened his features. Gemma felt her heat speed up. He was so beautiful like this. His eyes peeked open a fraction, looking right at her.

"Hey." She said, smiling slightly. Despite the whole ordeal from the night before, she was glad to have woken up in his arms.

They lay there for several long minutes, enjoying the moment. And then Gemma's bladder protested its fullness and she was forced to get up and go to the bathroom. When she returned, wiping her freshly washed hands dry on her shirt Paul was standing out on the balcony smoking a cigarette.

Gemma stopped in her tracks. All the trepidation from the night before flooded back. Paul turned back to look at the doorway. He had shed his jacket, which he had ended up sleeping in the night before. Now he only wore a blue mesh shirt and his white skinny jeans that looked like they'd seen better days. Sometime in the day he had kicked his boots off, so he was standing there barefoot, a half gone cigarette dangling from one hand. His hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail now. 

Gemma licked her lips as she studied the shape of the muscles under the mesh material. Gods above, this man was gorgeous. She stepped toward the door to join him. The night air was cool against her exposed limbs. She didn't let it bother her, making her way straight up to Paul. He turned as she stepped in to his space. His arms came up to touch her biceps. The filter of the cigarette rasped against her skin.

She gathered her resolve and looked him in the eye. She didn't think about what she was doing, she just leaned up and kissed him. He froze for a beat, obviously not expecting her to kiss him after everything. Then he regained himself and kissed her back. The taste of smoke was strong, bit it didn't overpower the taste of him. She pulled away a second later, looking up at him. There was something tender in his eyes.

"I think maybe it's time to talk." She told him.

"Alright, babe. If you're sure." He nodded minutely. She sidestepped him and leaned against the railing, looking out at the night sky. Absentmindedly, she thought about flying through it. What would the it be like? She drew her thoughts back to the matter at hand.

"I want you Paul. I know that. I don't want to lose you. But... If I can't figure out how to deal with your... Other side, then where does that leave us?" She asked rhetorically. Paul didn't answer, just waited patiently for her to finish speaking. She sighed and continued. "So, I have to learn to deal with the other side. You promised that you wouldn't hurt me. How can you be sure of that? If I were to be injured, wouldn't my... My blood bring on the... The..." She trailed off, unable to find the words.

"No, it wouldn't. Not like you're thinking. To me you aren't just blood anymore. I mean, yeah I'd probably vamp out. But it would be because I would be in protective mode. I would be looking for the threat to fight off. Not for food." He told her. He sounded sincere.

"How? How can you be sure?" She asked, turning toward him slightly. This time it was his turn to sigh.

"Because that's the way mate bonds work. I don't know exactly why its that way, but that's just the way it is. At least, its how David and Ronnie are. Even before she turned he was different about her. And I know how he feels now. I don't want to scare you, or hurt you. I don't think I could, now." He told her. His blue eyes were soft, vulnerable. She absorbed what he'd said. 

She stood there, biting her lip for a long time, processing the thoughts going through her head now. She felt kind of stupid for what she was about to ask. And a little afraid. OK, more than a little. But she had to do this. To prove that he was right. To prove to her own subconscious that she shouldn't be afraid of him. She looked up, a spark of challenge in her eyes. Paul met her eye, brow raised as he finished his cigarette, flicking the butt over the banister.

"Prove it." She demanded. His eyebrows furrowed at her.

"What?" He asked, disbelieving.

"I said prove it. Prove to me that you aren't the monster I keep seeing in my head." She crossed her arms over her chest. Confusion came over his expression.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked her. Rolling her eyes she turned and walked back into the room. She went to her dresser. She opened a drawer and pulled out a pocketknife that Ronnie had given her, keeping it from Paul's sight until it was too late. She had it open and pressed to her palm before he registered that something was off. As the blade bit into her skin and blood began to well up a growl ripped through the quiet of the night. Fear spiked in her chest but she fought it down.

"What the hell are you doing?" He snarled, suddenly right there beside her, yanking the knife away. She looked up and almost screamed. His face had changed, to the monstrous visage of _that_ night.

"Proving a point." She muttered quietly. She closed her eyes, ready for him to attack. She didn't expect him to bring her hand to his lips and lick away the blood gently and then to wrap her hand tightly with something soft. She opened her eyes to the vision of him carefully wrapping his bandana around her injured hand to stem the bleeding. The concern written on his strange face barely registered. His gold eyes were suddenly on hers, anger dancing in them.

' _Beautiful_.' The stray thought shocked her, but it was true. There was a kind of beauty to him this way too. She took in all the changes to his familiar face. The sharper cheekbones, the odd hollowing of his cheeks, the slightly pronounced forehead and the area around his eye sockets, giving his eyes a slightly sunken appearance. But altogether it wasn't as drastic a change as her mind had provided from the night of the attack.

"Gemma that was stupid and reckless. What were you thinking?" He snapped, his voice full of emotion, almost cracking on the last word. But he wasn't attacking her. Just like he'd said, his ire was for her own wellbeing. Gemma smiled then. The fear of the other side of him melted away, just like that. She didn't answer, instead leaning forward quickly and kissing him. He kissed back automatically. Gemma took in the difference in his kisses. The fangs were actually not as strange as she thought they would be. The copperish tang from her bloody hand was odd, but not unpleasant. But it was still him. Still _her Paul_.

Paul regained his senses and jerked back, staring down at her.

"You're beautiful Paul." She told him, raising  her hands to his face, tracing over the oddities there. The anger faded from his eyes, replaced with something unreadable. Gemma took his hand, leading him back across the short expanse to the balcony.

"What are you doing Gemma?" He asked warily.

"I want you Paul. I want all of you. Just like this. I'm not afraid anymore. You're right, and everything is OK. So please." She explained, almost pleading at the last. She guided one of his hands to the front of her panties. He looked stunned, but he quickly recovering. His fingers made quick work of slipping inside her panties, finding her core wet for him. He groaned and buried his face in her neck, drawing her closer.

Gemma's breath hitched when he slid a finger into her, thumb finding her clit.

"Gemma... I missed you so much." He admitted. She turned his face to her and kissed him again. Hard. Paul groaned into the kiss, fingers working her core. She clung to him, trembling. It didn't take long before she was pulling away from the kiss and burying her head in the juncture of his neck, coming with a keen. He withdrew his fingers and tugged her underwear down her legs, she helped him work them off her legs and kicked them back toward the door. His hands went to his pants, undoing them and shoving them down roughly, desperate to join with her again.

Once he was freed from his jeans he stepped back to her. He locked their mouths again, hand sliding being her neck and in to her hair, holding her in place. His other hand slid down to her smooth thigh, he hooked the back of her knee, dragging her leg up and around his hip. He dropped his hand from her hair, sliding down the other leg and lifting her up to sit on the edge of the railing. His erection brushed her core and she made a needy noise in her throat.

Both hands slid under her ass and lifted her, sliding into her at the same time. She broke the kiss and dropped her head to his shoulder. Her whole body was shaking. 

"Keep going. Please. I need you Paul." She whispered to him. That was all he needed to urge him into a hard rhythm, pounding into her, holding her close. He kissed every inch of skin he could get to, her ear, her neck, the side of her face. 

Gemma sighed and moaned, tilted her head to the side. Paul bit down slightly on the side of her neck, fangs barely pressing into skin and she tensed up. He backed off bit she raised a hand to his face and turned to look into his eyes. Her gray eyes were clouded by the pleasure currently swamping her.

"It's OK. I'm not afraid. I... I like it." She bit her lip. Paul didn't hesitate. He moved back to her neck and pressed openmouthed kisses to her skin, over and over, fangs grazing her skin. The smell of roses and sunlight surrounded them, growing thicker as she grew closer to climax.

A particularly loud moan tore from her throat when he nibbled at a sensitive spot. He bit down a little harder, careful not to break skin. He kept up his pace, pumping into her tight heat, sparks of pleasure setting off along his spine. Gemma threw her head back as he hit a place inside that sent streamers of pure bliss straight through her, keening. The pressure was building, too high, too fast. And then suddenly she was coming around him, hard. She clawed at his back, crying out with every thrust, causing him to stumble slightly before he slammed home and came hard. 

They stood there trying to catch their breath, Gemma balanced precariously on the balcony railing, clinging to Paul. One of his arms was wrapped protectively around her, the other was holding the iron railing in a white knuckle grip to keep himself upright.

Gemma recovered first, turning her face to him.

"That was... God that was amazing." She said between deep breaths. Paul's vampire side had receded as soon as orgasm had hit so when he looked over at her blue eyes met gray.

"Yeah." Was all he could say. Gemma smiled and curled closer to him.

As soon as they had caught their breath they redressed themselves, Gemma having to locate her underwear and a pair of pajama pants from the dresser. They both sat down in he doorway, watching the stars. Gemma was curled into Paul's side, dozing slightly when a throaty laugh came from just above them. 

A second later Ronnie dropped from the sky onto the banister, balancing effortlessly. Gemma started at her friend's sudden appearance, and in such a way as she just had. Ronnie only grinned, flipping David's long coat, which she was wearing, out behind her and dropping into a crouch.

"So I take it this means things are good now?" Ronnie asked sarcastically, grin never faltering. Gemma stuck her tongue out at her best friend.

"What are you doing here?" Paul wondered out loud. Ronnie's green eyes looked to him.

"Oh, I just came to see if everything was okay. Plus David's being moody." The black haired girl dropped one leg to dangle over the edge, one arm propped up on the other knee.

"Yes. We're okay. Now." Gemma spoke up. Ronnie tilted her head to regard the strawberry blonde.

"Good. I'd hate to have to kick my brother's ass again. So, I'll just be leaving you two lovebirds alone. I'm sure I don't need to know what you two fucking looks like. I already know what it sounds like, and believe me, that is way more than enough for me." Ronnie teased, flipping herself over the railing, cackling at the crimson blush that covered Gemma's face. Pail just smiled, turning his mates face to his and kissing her soundly.

"Maybe we should take this inside." He suggested. Gemma stammered for a second, but finally nodded. Paul scooped her into his arms and kicked the balcony door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, or whatever holiday you celebrate. This is probably the last thing I will post until after Christmas, possibly New Year's, depending on how busy I am, and if Inspiration hits. I'm glad I managed to get this one out. It was total hell. I rewrote it like 17 times, and the one time I thought I liked it, the whole chapter got erased! Which seriously bummed me out to the point I had to walk away for a bit and get a little clarity.
> 
> Anyway, so what does everyone think about that bit I threw in at the beginning?? Spoiler, it has to do with the next story in this series, Saving Princess Tigerliy. Look for it to be posted after Chasing Faeries concludes.
> 
> Also, a small announcement, SPT is going to include both Dwayne and Marko's story, so I hope everyone is cool with that.
> 
> Anyway, Happy Holidays and I hope everyone has a great end of the year, and an even better start to 2019!!


	17. Mystique

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> What The Water Gave Me - Florence + The Machine  
> Little Red Riding Hood - Elysian Fields  
> What's the Matter - Milo Greene

Lilith stood before her vanity, dressing slowly, deliberately. Tonight was the night, the last sacrifice. The Awakening. It called for more than the purification and sacrifice than any of the monthly sacrifices that had begun this process. It called for something much grander, and much more symbolic.  
Lilith was nearly finished with her preparations.

She had bathed in salt water from the sea, to purify herself, and donned the ornaments required for the spell. The ritual paint she wore felt heavy on her skin, but it reassured her, almost like armor to fortify her, body, mind and will. The copper and silver arm cuffs that wrapped her wrists pulsed with energy, the minutely glowing magical inscriptions simultaneously siphoning her magical energy, and bolstering it, absorbing power from the very air around her.

The large heavy crystal that hung by a cord of human hair around her neck contained a great amount of magical energy, having absorbed the excess power from dozens of sorceress's over the last  years.  
She wore a deceptively thin copper chain around her waist that held the dagger she used to perform the rituals. Similar copper and silver chains wrapped her bare ankles, the dozens of tiny charms tinkling every time she moved. The robe she wore was as black as the void, almost seeming to draw in the light and swallow it in the swaths of fabric that draped her shoulders and split at the hips to fall in a sinuous cascade to her feet, baring the sides of her legs.

The final touch was the bone, feather and jet black quarts crystal that rested on her brow, trailing black feathers down her back.  
She moved from the mirror after she settled the headdress in place and picked up the black candle that awaited her. She lit the candle with a gesture of her wrist and fingers. Holding the candle before her, the only source of light in the entire house, she turned and made her way down the stairs to the ground level, and then to the basement.  
As her bare feet touched the earthen floor she felt Marko stirring restlessly in his soil womb. His mind whispered to hers, almost nervously.

  
_'This_ _is it. It's time. I've waited so long for this...'_ Lilith stepped fully into the room. Lucius was there, kneeling beside the soon to be emptied grave. He was dressed similarly to his sister, the black and white paint covering his bare chest, arms and back, metal and bone bracers on each arm, a loincloth of the same black material as her robe, adorned with wolf bones and raven feathers. A mask made from the wolf's skull and yet more feathers covered his face. He too was barefoot.

  
Before him lay the last sacrifice, a young brunette woman who stared past Lilith at the wall. The last virgin offering.

  
Lilith stepped forward, drawing her dagger from its sheath as she did. She lifted her arms into the air. The candle's flame wavered, casting shadows across the walls and casting her face in stark relief. She took a deep breath and lifted her head high. She began to speak in a clear, steady voice.

  
"I call thee, spirits of the earth, the air, the fire and the water. Hear me and attend to  thy summons. I call thee, spirits of the night. I call thee, ye who slumbers, come to me from the darkness, from the depths of the earth, from which ye are reborn." She swayed imperceptibly with the words. At her beckoning hand Lucius raised the chalice he held up to her. She continued the spell.

  
"With this offering, blood and bone, ye are whole and strong once more! Arise, creature of darkness, I command thee! Arise and walk the earth again, as ye once did! Arise, Vampire, and take of the flesh ye have been offered! Awake!" She chanted the words, finishing with a flourish of the blade. A shallow slice appeared across her wrist. She held her bleeding wrist over the chalice for a moment, her blood staining the inside a deep red. When she had enough of her own blood she took the pristine white bandage that Lucius offered and bound the wound deftly. She handed off the candle to her brother and took up the vessel. She turned to the woman

.  
The woman never had the time to scream as her throat was opened by the dagger's razor edge, a flood of crimson pouring forth into the waiting chalice. The soil began to shift and churn as Marko finally woke and began to claw his way to the surface.

  
Clawed hands emerged from the ground first, followed by the fanged visage of the vampire. He dug his way forward, toward the woman who had woken him. Lilith raised the chalice and offered it to him. He grasped it in both hands and lifted it to his lips.

  
He drank deep, draining every drop he could from the cup before relinquishing it to Lilith. The witch raised the dagger again, completing the ceremony.

  
"I bind thee, by my blood and oath, to me, and I to ye. I shall serve ye, as ye shall serve me. Bound we are by no mere mortal coils, but by the bonds of soul and blood. Unbreakable, and eternal. I bid the elements free, thy purpose served, earth to strengthen, the air to sustain, the fire to temper, and the water to cleanse. I bind this spell by will, and what I will, be done." She finished.

  
As she spoke the last words the weight of the magic that had been worked wound itself around the two and settled, like a familiar weight that grounded both the vampire and the witch. Almost like a switch was flipped the mental link that had established between them fell fully into place, linking them mind to mind. A jolt of something warm and intense, though not unpleasant, passed between them. It was gone as quickly as it came.

Lilith sagged suddenly under a wave of exhaustion. Lucius caught her and leant his support. He helped her to the stairs and settled her on the steps. She leaned into the wall, eyes heavy and drooping. The magic had sapped nearly all her strength, even with the magical enhancements that the crystal, metal and bone ornaments had provided.

With his sister settled, Lucius turned his attention to the vampire. He was shorter than Lucius, but taller than Lilith, with pale skin, almost cherubic features, and a mane of long curls that hung down his naked back. Lucius couldn't tell what color it was in the dim candle light, or the color of his eyes, though from the paleness of them he was willing to bet they were blue.

  
The vampire, Marko, hadn't spoken since his awakening, seemingly still a bit groggy. Luc moved toward him slowly, offering his hand to help the vampire stand, as he was still kneeling. Marko looked up at him for a moment before reaching up and accepting the offer.

"Welcome back to the world, brother." The wolf spoke to the reborn lord of the night. Marko looked up at his witch's brother. Now both of their guardian. The vampire studied the wolf shifter for several long moments. Finding something he had been looking for, Marko smiled a lopsided grin.

"It's good to finally meet you. Brother." He said evenly. Luc wasn't surprised at the smooth voice that apparently belonged to the vampire. Even under the dirt he could tell the other man had almost angelic features. It would figure. Both men responded when Lilith made a sound in her throat. They could size each other up later. Now they had Lilith to tend to.

***

Dwayne had found himself alone more and more lately. Ever since Ronnie had ended up in their lives, in their pack, and brought along Gemma when she and Paul had ended up being mates, it seemed like there was little room for him when the others seemed attached at the mouth. Or other places.

He wandered down the sandbar, looking for a suitable place to settle in for a few hours. He was headed toward some promising rocks. The moonlight was bright enough to read by, the full moon sitting fat and round in the sky.

The dark haired man had fled tonight when he had blundered into Ronnie and David having sex out on the bluffs, while trying to escape the scene of Paul and Gemma cuddled up in the lair, specifically on Paul's beanbag mountain, watching movies on the TV, Gemma laughing at Paul's puzzled reactions to some of the new nonsense that humans had come up with in the time since they had gone to ground.

Most of Dwayne's library had not survived, either destroyed by the elements, or stolen by the transients that had invaded in the Boys' absence. He had been rebuilding it, slowly. But having books did no good when you had no refuge to read them in.

His new copy of Hamlet was tucked inside his leather jacket, and he had made his way to the beach to see if he could find somewhere to escape from the overwhelming loneliness that had set in.

Truthfully, he loved his brothers. And his new sister. But since they had found mates, Dwayne was reminded that he was Mateless. And likely always would be.

It was exceedingly rare for vampires to find mates. Now both of his brothers had. That left very little chance of Dwayne's luck running the same way.

An inaudible sigh escaped him. He made his way up the side of the boulder he'd finally reached and made himself a seat. He propped his book open to his marked place and attempted to immerse himself in the world of Shakespeare.

He was barely three pages in when he growled low and closed the book with a muffled snap. He had reread more lines than he cared to think about.  So instead he looked out over the waves.

At first he didn't notice exactly what had caught his attention, but then he refocused, having realized that there was something -no, someone, out there on a surfboard.

Dwayne leaned forward and watched the person as they moved across the waves gracefully. He only noticed that she was female when her bikini top flashed in the moonlight, blue and yellow, he thought.

She was carving her way across the waves, turning, dipping, moving as if she were comfortable out there on the waves. It was clear that she wasn't a rookie, from the way she rode her board, as if it were an extension of herself. 

Dwayne watched her for a long time, losing himself in tracking her every movement. He smiled as the girl finally packed it in around 2 am, after a pretty good session. She was a natural out there. Dwayne wondered if she was out there every night.

He didn't notice the eyes that seemed to be intent on him as he watched the woman out there in the water.

The dark vampire stayed out on the beach long after the girl was gone, finally able to relax and sink into his book. He only left just before sunrise.

The next night he found an excuse to break off from the other's after they'd all fed. It wasn't hard, seeing as the two couples were wrapped up in each other once again.

And once again, she was out there. Dwayne managed to catch her full profile, realizing with a start that she was Ronnie and Gemma's other roommate. Lea, he believed her name was. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in to a ponytail and she wore a blue and yellow bikini that seemed familiar somehow. 

She was beautiful, in her element out there, performing 360's and riding waves that seemed much too big for her. But she met every challenge, and then some.

Dwayne found something in him both relaxing, and rooting for her. He got lost watching her move, smooth and fluid, like she belonged in the water, to the water.

He found himself noticing how her wet hair clung to her neck and shoulders, or flew wide when she turned quickly. He memorized the play of the moonlight on her clearly bronze skin. The moon suited her nearly as much as the water itself.

He barely noted the passage of time, book forgotten in his lap.

When Lea left the water Dwayne followed her back to the house she still shared with Gemma and the other girl.

And the next night he was there after the sun sank beneath the horizon, waiting. When everyone had gone, there she was, in a pink and black wetsuit this time.

And again Dwayne watched her as she merged with the waves as they rolled toward the beach, and then back out. And the next night. She was a siren to him, her call bringing him back to the edge of the water, eyes tracking her every movement, her every gracefully executed maneuver, until she paddled back to the shore and he followed her home to make sure she made it.

Not once did it even cross his mind to approach her, to speak to the woman who had seemingly captivated him. Instead he was there, every night that she was out on the water. Her silent guardian. It wasn't every night; she occasionally stayed home, buried in books, sleeping, or cleaning.

On those nights Dwayne would check in on her when she didn't arrive at her usual time, and then he would head back to the lair, to his room in the depths of their cave, or he would take his bike out for a ride. He didn't even register when he stopped feeding regularly, instead favoring the glass bottles David kept on hand for a quick snack, and for Ronnie, who was still only a halfling.

He preferred to be there, on his rock on the beach, watching Lea out there, casting her nightly spell on him, drawing him out of his own head, and toward her. He was content with that, his lot, as it were.

***

Paul pulled Gemma closer, wrapping her in his duvet. They had been officially together for a little over two weeks now. Most nights they were together. They alternated where they slept, the house or the cave. Gemma had basically adopted the vampire's nocturnal patterns, having been halfway there already anyway.

She smiled, the arm that had been wrapped around Thing uncurling, the yellow bat tumbling across the bed. She wrapped her arm around his neck and sighed contentedly. Paul felt the happy bubble in his chest swelling. He felt so damn lucky. He marveled at his little woman every day. He thought he'd lost her, and yet here she was, in his bed, dressed in one of his tattered Pink Floyd tee shirts, cuddling the ugly stuffed animal she had given him, wrapped in his arms, and she was happy.

Paul buried his face in her strawberry blonde curls and inhaled deeply. The floral scent he never tired of filled his lungs.

"Paul, that tickles." She mumbled sleepily. She squirmed in his arms. He grinned a shit eating grin and ghosted his fingers down her sides, where he knew she was ticklish. The shrieks and giggles that followed were reward enough for him. When she begged him to stop, breathless and definitely awake now, he dragged her into a kiss. She loved him. All of him. 

And he knew he loved her too. Deeply. Irrevocably. He was hers. She was his.

The only thing that stood between them now was that she was still human. So fragile, and weak. He wanted to ask her so badly to drink the blood. To become one of them. But he just couldn't. He didn't think her humanity could handle it. That thought sobered him instantly. He dragged her back into his chest, holding her close.

"Paul, what is it?" She asked, having sensed his abrupt mood change. He shook his head, unable to voice his thoughts, and not wanting to ruin this moment. Instead he changed the subject.

"Hungry is all. The others will be heading out soon. I should go with them. I haven't fed in a few days." He told her. It wasn't exactly a lie. He hadn't fed in a day or two. So he really did need to head out to hunt tonight. So he wasn't being untruthful. He pushed the other thoughts to the back of his mind and started to get up to do exactly what he had said. Gemma didn't respond past a thoughtful hum. She snuggled down into the pillow again, more than ready to go back to sleep.

Paul dressed and went to join his brothers. David was waiting in the den, but Dwayne was nowhere to be seen. When Paul raised an eyebrow in question David just shrugged.

' _Already gone._ ' He sent. Paul dismissed it and the two took to the air. 

The two made short work of the hunt, cornering two thugs in an alley and scaring them shitless before draining them and flying the bodies to the sheltered beach where they burned most of their kills now, ever since the incident with the hunters a few months back. They set the driftwood ablaze and let the corpses burn.

Paul watched the fire burn, impatient to get back home to the woman asleep in his bed. David seemed the same, but they stayed until the fire had burned away the bodies, sharing a few joints between them. As the pyre burned down the waves lapped at the edge of it, hissing where water met embers, the tide coming in the wash away the ashes. Which was why they had picked this particular spot; easy cleanup.

David and Paul flicked the spent roaches into the water and turned to the sky, heading home once more. Both men were impatient to get back to the waiting arms of their mates.

Halfway there Paul reached out to his leader's mind, the euphoria having crept over him, making him bolder.

' _Thank you. For pushing me. I'm grateful to finally have Gemma. I wouldn't if you hadn't given me the kick I needed.'_ He sent. David looked back at him.

' _You're stubborn, and an idiot. But that doesn't mean I don't think you deserve happiness. And if it comes right down to it, I should also be thanking you. If you and Dwayne hadn't accepted Ronnie like you did things wouldn't be as they are._ ' David told his brother. Paul smiled a little. The marijuana was definitely doing its job. David wouldn't normally share his feelings like that. But Paul was glad he had. These moments were worth it. The times when the brothers could be open with each other.

' _She's family now, Davey. I couldn't ask for a better sister.'_ Paul grinned. David gave him a flat look.

' _You're only saying that because she helps you pull pranks and steal shit_.' The leader snarked. Paul shrugged. Hudson's Bluff was in view now. Both vampires began descending toward the spot where the lair lay nestled.

 _'Eh, maybe. But I think maybe we didn't realize we needed her until, boom, there she was. And by then it was already too late and she was one of us._ ' Paul touched down first, David dropping a few seconds later. David looked thoughtful. Then he turned to Paul and spoke out loud.

"You know, for an idiot, you say some pretty damn deep shit." The other blonde squawked in protest at the backhanded compliment. David just laughed and headed toward the cave entrance, Paul following a few steps after, pouting dramatically at his leader's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! And with it, a new chapter! Yay!
> 
> In this one I finally got to one of the events I've been working toward for what feels like an eternity, but its finally done! Marko's back in the land of the living!!! (Well, sort of.)
> 
> I hope everyone is as excited as I am.  
> Also, the Second Thing I've been working toward is done as well! Dwayne's part has finally begun! I'm so excited!
> 
> And truthfully it has been extremely hard getting to this point because Dwayne is so freaking difficult to write! My HC is kinda weird about him, so I'm working out the kinks as I go, but its pretty slow going. I'm having to do TONS of research. Especially since I haven't read literally ANY Shakespeare, aside from Romeo and Juliet, which in my opinion sucked. Then again I kind of hate the story of Helen of Troy, too. Don't judge me! I have my reasons. Mostly because I hate tragic endings. And let's face it. Those stories defined Tragic Ending.
> 
> So! That's a little something hardly anyone knows about me. But aside from that, I'm having to research a bunch of poetry, and literally everything about surfing, because I'm from the middle of the damn country, and I've never even seen the ocean, let alone been out.on it. So if any of you ARE familiar with the ins and outs of surfing and spot any glaring errors, please, PLEASE, let me know so I can fix it? I am ocd about things like that, and I want to be as accurate as I can. Thank you, and thank you all for your understanding and patience with me. Its been a slow process, but were just about 2/3 of the way done now. There will be a fewmore chapters of CF and then the next installment shall begin.
> 
> So thank you for reading, and commenting, because your comments keep me inspired, and I hope everyone is enjoying the read.


	18. Prodigal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> Locking Up the Sun - Poets of the Fall  
> Amaranth - Night wish

The sun sank slowly beneath the horizon. Its reflection on the water died out, a sputtering candle flame. As the light faded and the world went dark the night began to wake. And with it the vampires.

Marko awoke slowly, engulfed in feathery softness. He was laying in a bed on the first floor bedroom that Lilith and her brother had prepared for him. The large window was blacked out thrice over. The window itself had been painted black, a heavy shutter was latched on the outside, and a heavy blackout curtain hung from floor to ceiling. 

Marko was grateful. He was grateful to even be alive right bow. When the Frog kid had staked him he thought for sure that that was it. Everlasting life cut short in the blink of an eye.

But here he was. Alive, and well. And stronger than he ever remembered being. And his newfound friends had promised him that his brothers were alive as well. Marko planned to return to the pack soon. But first he needed to learn just how much the world had changed. Lilith had shared so much with him already while he was still entombed in her basement, but it wasn't enough. Marko needed to see it. To feel it for himself.

He was bound to Lilith now, but he had some freedom. And he had seen inside Lilith's mind. She had no desire to subjugate him, as these bonds tended to go. Instead all she wanted was his help, his added power to help her abilities as a witch grow.

There was nothing inherently bad about her. She had dubious morals, what with the human sacrifice that she felt only a mild twinge of guilt for, as it was necessary. If it hadn't been required though, she wouldn't have ever thought about killing a human.

She was special. Marko wanted to protect that. Even from himself if possible.

He was fairly certain that Lilith was his mate. They were compatible in many ways, and he was drawn to her. He felt protective, and more than a little lustful toward the dark haired witch. More than he'd ever felt for anyone else.

But he wouldn't pursue that course. Lilith deserved better than a vampire like Marko. Marko knew it was going to be hard to do, but he would watch her find someone else and be truly happy for her. It was what was for the best. 

Shaking off his morose thoughts Marko got up and went to his en suite bathroom. He turned the shower on and picked up the brand new bar of soap that had been left for him on the bathroom counter. He stepped under the spray and began to scrub himself down.

When he had washed himself twice to be sure he was clean, and washed his hair with the shampoo that he found in the shower stall, he shut off the water and stepped out.

He snagged a towel from the shelf beside the sliding glass door and quickly dried himself.

When he was done he went to dress. He was borrowing Lucius's clothes for the moment, since he had none of his own any longer. Bursting into flame tends to burn away any clothing.

A brief moment of sadness for his bright old coat with all the patches and tassels came over him. He pushed it away and finished getting dressed 

Lucius had promised to help Marko find some new clothing. Which had Marko excited. He hadn't had anything new that he hadn't made himself in far too long.

Marko felt Lilith's thoughts in the kitchen so he headed down, bare feet barely making a sound on the tile as he descended the stairs.

In the large kitchen Lilith was sitting at the table in a pair of plaid pajamas eating a bowl of cereal. When she saw him her eyes lit up.

"Oh wow! You really do look like an angel!" Marko blinked in surprise and then his eyes slid over to Lucius, who stood at the counter with his own bowl. He was smirking, obviously trying not to laugh. The vampire pouted.

"Is that what you talk about when I'm not around?" He asked sarcastically. Lilith smiled brightly. 

"No. Not just that. You're pretty short too." She knew he was sensitive about his height. It was something they had talked about in the time before he woke up.

"Hey! That's a low blow!" He defended. Lucius snorted. 

"Low to the ground, maybe." The taller man remarked. Marko's eyes went wide.

"So you're going shopping with me and Luc?" Lilith asked, obviously changing the subject before Marko could retort. Marko glared halfheartedly at the shifter before answering her.

"Yeah. I guess. It'll give me a good feel of how much has changed in the last thirty years." He told her.

"Good. You're going to need it. Especially if we're going to find your brothers." Lilith finished her cereal and got up to put her bowl in the sink. She left the room, heading back upstairs. 

Lucius contemplated the contents of his bowl before deciding he was done and following his sister's example and dumping it in the sink.

"I'll be back down in a few. I think I have some shoes that will fit you, I'll bring them." He said before disappearing. Marko was left to his own devices, so he wandered around the kitchen, peeking in cupboards and under counters.

He discovered a hidden treasure trove of odds and ends in one drawer that he opened and he started investigating, but soon fell bored when it was all old bread ties and broken things. He had just started another circuit of the kitchen when his escort for the night reappeared dressed all in black. Black hooded sweatshirt with a large howling wolf on the front, black pants with chains hanging in artful loops from the waistband, and black boots that made no sound, even though they looked to be heavy. Lucius dropped a pair of black sneakers in front of Marko.

Marko sat down at the kitchen table and tried one on. They were just a bit too big, but he wouldn't have to worry about it for long.

When he was finished he gave the wolf a nod. They waited patiently for Lilith to come back down, dressed in a pair of tight black pants, a dark purple corset, a long black jacket, and a pair of black boots with buckles from the ankle up to the calf. Lilith smiled at Marko, who was swimming in a black button up that was at least two sizes too large and a pair of gray slacks that had been rolled up at the hem several times in attempt to keep him from tripping over them constantly. Lucius snagged the keys to the old car that was parked in the garage and they headed out. Marko did his best not to stare at Lilith, instead training his eyes on the sky.

***

Gemma was in particularly good mood. The whole group was hanging out on the boardwalk watching the people around them rushing to get where they were going.

It was a gorgeous night out, and it seemed like everyone was taking advantage.

There were families with kids out later than usual, couples holding hands and chatting excitedly as they hurried from ride to ride.

Paul had his arm thrown over Gemma's shoulder as they leaned against a railing. Ronnie was sitting on the railing, legs dangling in the air, David's arms  around her from behind, head rest I g on his mate's shoulder in a rare public display of affection. Dwayne was on the other side of them with both arms resting on the railing, watching the people out on the beach. They were all laughing and giggling, talking and joking.

Dwayne and Paul were making g jokes at each other's expense, but it seemed like Dwayne wasn't really up for it, as his eyes continued to be locked on the beach, and his responses were delayed a good deal of the time. Ronnie was picking up the slack though, making offhand comments and riling Paul up.

Gemma happened to look over while Ronnie and Paul were heckling David about something that didn't have anything to do with Gemma, and noticed a guy in the crowd watching them. It wouldn't have been odd, but Gemma knew something was off about the way he stared. Especially at they boys.

At first Gemma couldn't place it, and then it hit her. He was unnaturally still, and he never seemed to blink, or even glance away. She turned slowly to Paul.

"Hey, don't look, but there's a guy watching us. I think he's a vampire." She whispered into his ear. He tensed up, and nodded slowly. He turned to David, who's expression sobered quickly. Dwayne then stood up and stepped closer to the rest of them, attention no longer on the beach. Ronnie stopped swinging her feet and glanced around, smiling deceptively as she gauged the crowd around them.

And then David muttered an expletive under his breath. Before she knew what was happening she was being ushered into the nearest storefront. 

"Paul?" She questioned.

"It's not one guy. There's at least four we can see, which means there's more we can't. We're going to lead them away, you wait until its safe and go straight home. OK?" He instructed. Gemma nodded, fear coiling in her gut.

"I'll come get you as soon as it's safe. And I love you Gemma." With that Paul disappeared leaving Gemma standing in a novelty souvenir shop alone.

***

David and Paul took to the air, Dwayne and Ronnie searching the streets below. Something was going on.

There were vampires all over the place, all watching them. Gemma would be safe, as Ronnie had called Lea and asking if she could come get Gemma. Lea was already close by, having gotten off work not long before and was headed to get the redhead and take her home.

But almost as soon as the pack had made their move the strange vampires had disappeared. Now David and Paul were trying to locate them from the sky, while Ronnie and Dwayne scoured the streets below.

They had been looking for close to an hour now, and still no sign of them.

The two groups decided to meet up. They all touched down on the beach, far from the lights of the city.

"Where could they have gone so fast, man? It's like they just vanished." Paul said, dropping to the ground to sit.

"I don't like this. There were too many of them for it to be a coincidence. And they were all watching us so close." Ronnie crossed her arms and looked toward the boardwalk.

"Yeah. Its suspicious. Paul, Ronnie, you go check on Gemma. Dwayne and I will check the cave to make sure they aren't waiting to ambush us." David directed. He nodded to Dwayne and they headed in the direction of the lair. Paul and Ronnie looked at each other, concern in both their faces, before they headed in the opposite direction.

When they arrived at the house everything was fine. Gemma was in her room listening to music and reading, trying not to worry.

Lea was in the shower. Maya was asleep in her room, bedside lamp still on and movie playing on her tv. Paul went to reassure Gemma that everything was OK while Ronnie kept watch outside, just in case.

' _Nothing here. Everyone is fine._ ' Ronnie sent to David.

' _Same here. Nothing out of the ordinary_.' He replied.

It bothered Ronnie. This was really strange. She felt like something was up. There was something in the air. But she just couldn't figure out what it was.

In the end they decided that Gemma should remain at home while the others patrolled the boardwalk, just in case they could spot one of the intruders.

Paul was making his way up the boardwalk toward a cluster of clothing shops. David was down by the pier. Dwayne was covering a few of the rides, and Ronnie was by the carousel, keeping an eye out.

She thought she spotted one of them, but when she took a second look it was just a group of humans. The one that had caught her eye had long curly blonde hair down their back, while the others were a tall dark haired guy, and a girl with her equally dark hair cut super short, all dressed in black. All three were carrying plastic shopping bags, and Ronnie dismissed them after watching them head back toward Paul's sector.

Ronnie made another pass, then waited in line and rode the carousel twice, keeping an eye out in all directions. She didn't see anything.

By this time it was getting late and the boardwalk was starting to empty out, humans heading home for the night as the rides and things started closing down for the night. Ronnie figured it was about time to pack it in and meet back up with the others.

She grabbed some cotton candy from a vendor that was about to close and meandered her way down the boardwalk, slowly eating.

David signalled the all clear in his area. Dwayne followed suit. Ronnie was in the middle of replying when a panicked shriek echoed across the link the pack shared. It seemed strangely echoed, but Ronnie didn't think to hard on it, she just took off running toward Paul, where the sending had come from, her half finished cotton candy hitting the ground, forgotten in her haste. David and Dwayne were close on her heels.

***

Marko stared at his brother, and Paul stared right back. Neither one could believe what they were seeing. Marko had known that the boys were in the area, but he hadn't expected to run smack into his brother, all alone and wandering the boardwalk by himself. Marko had expected them to be hanging out in a group somewhere, their bikes not far away, which would have given him fair warning to get out of the area before he was spotted. Instead here he was coming face to face with Paul.

And if the look on the stoner's face was anything to go by, Paul was just as shocked to see Marko here. Lilith and Lucius were both silent behind him. 

Marko felt the approach of several others. He turned to find David and Dwayne stopping short as they caught sight of him. What surprised Marko most, however, was the girl with long black curls hanging down her back, dressed very similar to Lilith in leather pants and a tight dark green tank top. She was wearing David's coat, and their scents were intermingled. And she was a halfling. 

Marko turned back to Paul and then took a step. The emotions that were welling up, now that the shock was beginning to wear off, were overwhelming. The relief and happiness, momentary fear, and the almost panic made Marko want to turn tail and run. But he was rooted to the spot. He had missed his brothers. He couldn't run from them bow, even if their reunion wasn't the way he had planned. Instead of giving in to his emotions Marko steeled himself and looked back to his leader. He stared David in the eye and stepped forward.

"Hey guys." He said nervously. And then he was surrounded by both familiar and unfamiliar people when they moved to hug him, all at once.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Marko's back!! Finally.


	19. Divulgence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Playlist:  
> The Scorpion Sleeps - Rob Zombie  
> Ironman - Ozzy Osbourne  
> Rocket - Smashing Pumpkins

Paul's head was spinning.

Marko was standing right in front of him, no different than he had been so many years ago. Well, minus the colorful jacket that had been the shorter boy's pride. Now he stood there in jeans, a red and white letterman style jacket that was entirely unadorned, and a black shirt emblazoned with a white tiger. 

Everything else was all the same. Long blonde curls hung down his brother's back, blue eyes. The same face that Paul had seen in his dreams a thousand times, twisted in pain and fear. 

And now here he was, wary and unsure when faced with his brothers who had believed him dead.

Paul felt tears burning his eyes, but he held back. The elation that flooded him to know that Marko wasn't dead was overwhelming.

"How are you even alive?" David's voice came from beside Paul, startling him. The tall blonde had forgotten that everyone else was there. He studied Marko's response. The smallest of them shifted from foot to foot, a hand coming up to his mouth, and bit his thumb. So that hadn't changed.

"Well, that would be because of them." Marko cut a glance at the dark haired pair standing just behind him. The girl was smiling brightly, holding the other's sleeve and radiating pure joy. The male stood with his hands in his pockets, regarding the vampires cooly. It was apparent from the similarities between them that they were siblings. "They brought me back. Otherwise I would be dead. Ya'know. For good."

David's gaze fell on the siblings. His eyes narrowed.

"Why?" He demanded. The brother removed his hands from his pockets and pulled his sister close with one, the other raking through his hair.

"Truthfully, it started when we were born, so we didn't have much choice in the matter. Our grandmother wanted him bound to our family. Subjugated." He explained. His voice was rich and deep. And when he moved Paul caught his scent.

"He's a wolf." He snarled, claws and fangs coming forward.

"Wait!" Marko threw himself in front of the two. The wolf had pulled the female behind him, guarding her. "He's a shifter, not a werewolf! He means no harm!"

"How can we believe that?" David snapped. Ronnie stepped up then, speaking for the first time.

"David, he doesn't smell the same. He smells like pure magic." She told her mate, stepping straight up to Marko. She held her hands up in surrender when the smaller man made to block her.

"She's right. He isn't a werewolf. He was turned into a shifter to protect me." The dark haired girl stepped around her brother.

"Lilith." The shifter warned. He strong scent of peach blossoms and rain permeated the air. Her face set in a determined line.

"Enough, Luc. They won't trust us if we don't show them trust first. They need to know what we are, and why if they're ever going to." She looked meaningfully at her protective brother. After a beat he sighed and stepped aside. The girl, Lilith, laid her hand on Marko's outstretched arm. He met her eye, a silent exchange passing between them. Then he too stepped aside. 

Lilith stood before Ronnie, back ramrod straight, steel glinting in her eyes.

"I'm the one who resurrected Marko. I'm a witch. Lucius is my twin brother. Our grandmother is the one who took Marko, and she did this to all of us." She explained.

Paul felt Ronnie's assurance that the witch was telling the truth. He relaxed, his other side receding. He stayed wary though.

"Why'd you bring him back?" David asked, his voice just this side of demanding. Lilith acknowledged him.

"Our grandmother made it happen. She bound us when Lucius and I were born, after she tore the fetus our mother carried in half and created twins from one child. She twisted Lucius into this and forced him to become my protector. Then she forged the bond between Marko and me.

"I've been feeding him on the full moon every month since I was old enough to perform the ritual. I was supposed to bind him to my will, to fully subjugate him to me. But when she died I knew I never would. So instead I promised him I'd help him find you. His family. We'll always be bound together, but Marko is free. I won't force him to stay by my side. I'm not that kind of person." She looked at the boy. 

Paul started when he realized they were speaking telepathically. That Lilith had initiated it. He looked at Marko then, closely.

There was something there, in his brother's eyes. A tenderness that had only ever been reserved for his brothers before. Paul knew that Marko felt something for the mortal witch. Was she his mate?

Right then Ronnie turned back to the pack.

"David." She jerked her head toward Marko. She was smiling. David came forward, one arm wrapping around his mate's shoulders and tucking her beside him.

"Marko. Welcome home brother. We've missed you." David reached out and pulled the smaller blonde into a half embrace. Marko's eyes went wide. Their leader had never been physically affectionate. Ronnie had changed a lot when she had come into their lives. 

When David released Marko they were both smiling. Ronnie was practically bouncing in place in her excitement. As soon as Marko was free she pounced, hugging him hard.

"I've heard so much about you! I'm so glad you're alive." She told him. Confusion clouded his features.

"Marko, this is Ronnie. My mate." David introduced, an exasperated tone to his voice. Ronnie smacked his arm. David brushed it off. The shock on Marko's face when David said 'mate' made Paul snigger. Marko's eyes were on him then. Paul was nervous suddenly. He wasn't sure what to say, or do. Thankfully Marko did. He slammed into Paul, hugging him hard. The tears Paul had fought off earlier welled up again. This time Paul didn't fight them.

His best friend was back, alive. Marko was here. He wasn't dead. _He wasn'tdeadwasn'tdeadwasn'tdead_.

' _Brother_?' Marko's tentative mind touched Paul's. It felt far away and weak, but it was there. It wasn't just a phantom echo in his head, an illusion. It was real, and there. And Marko was solid against him, hugging him back.

Which is more than he had been since that night thirty years before.

 _'I missed you_.' Paul replied. Then the tears spilled over.

***

Marko was home. The cave had changed drastically. There was a refrigerator and microwave, a full computer setup in the corner, a TV and several game systems hooked up. The fountain and its fallen chandelier were clean, furniture packed into the space around it, and curtains hung everywhere. A generator hummed somewhere in the background.

It was different, but still home. The smell of stone and saltwater hadn't diminished, and the lair still felt inherently right.

Marko sat on one of the couches. It was beside a large bookshelf that was full of all kinds of books, paperback, hardback, old and new. The scent of Dwayne rose up around him. It was comforting.

After he and Paul had cried like sissies all over each other, Dwayne had stepped up and hugged him, telling him without words that he was glad Marko was home.

Now here they were. Seven of them packed into the lair. Lilith and Lucius were still there, by his side, supporting him. Lilith seemed loathe to leave his side for long. 

Marko looked up at the perches his birds had once inhabited. They were gone now. Marko felt disappointed.

"I missed them too. They reminded me of you. But they left a long time ago." Paul's voice came from a massive pile of beanbag chairs. Marko hadn't been surprised to see it. It fit Paul.

Lilith and Ronnie were talking quietly across the room, her brother hovering close behind her. The witch glanced up at him occasionally.

He graced her with a semblance of a smile. He watched the two, particularly the tall green eyed woman with long black curls down her back. Marko couldn't quite place it, but there was something eerily familiar about her. Something in the set if her jaw, the curve of her lips, the shape of her eyes. 

"So David's mated now." He stated. 

"Yeah. Ronnie's cool. The sister we never had. You know, she's glad you're home too." Paul's voice eminated from a multicolored pile of beanbag chairs close to the computer corner.

Marko glanced at his closest friend. Paul wasn't looking at him, instead fidgeting with a hand rolled joint. Marko was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to think, this woman he had never met, who had become a part of their pack after he was gone, was glad that he was home.

"He's not the only one who has a mate. David, I mean." Paul still didn't look up, but his fingers stilled.

"Where is she?" Marko asked, catching on to the reason his brother wouldn't meet his eyes. They had all moved on, thinking him dead. Paul felt guilty. Marko didn't blame them. He hadn't expected to survive either. And he would have wanted them to survive.

"At home. Would've been here, but something came up and I need her to be safe." Paul answered, a hollowness to his voice.

"She's still human." Marko said. It wasn't a question. He was certain.

"Yeah." Paul finally looked up. There was guilt written across his face, plain as day. "Marko I-we all thought y-"

"Don't feel guilty. I thought I was dead too. I don't blame you for moving on with your lives. And I'm glad you found a mate. At least you aren't alone." Marko cut off his brother. Paul looked relieved. He smiled down at the joint he held. Then offered it to Marko. Marko grinned. Just like old times.

Dwayne hummed from where he stood, arms crossed over his bare chest. Marko had almost forgotten about his stoic packmate. He looked up. Dwayne had a half smile on his face.

"So when do you plan to claim her?" He asked, voice pitched so as not to carry across the room. Marko looked over at Lilith, panic shooting through him. He looked back to Dwayne.

"I knew it!" Paul whisper-shouted. Marko narrowed his eyes.

"I don't. And I don't want her to know anything about this, so both of you shut the fuck up." Marko hissed. Both his brothers were taken aback. Dwayne recovered first, nodding to Marko. Paul's eyebrows drew together.

"Why not?" He asked quietly. Marko sighed.

"Because. She's been under someone else's control her whole life. Now that she isn't she's still figuring out who she is. I'm not going to get in the way of that. Besides, I'm pretty sure her brother would castrate me if I tried." Marko chuckled darkly at the thought. Lucius was highly protective of Lilith. When they had been out shopping several men had catcalled Lilith, and one truly stupid one had attempted to grope her. 

Lucius had driven them off just a dark look, and in the case of the idiot who had attempted to cop a feel, a possibly broken wrist and a promise of worse if Luc ever saw him near Lilith again.

"Mhh. I feel ya. I don't want to think about how I'd feel if it was Gem." Paul shook his head.

Dwayne rested a hand on Marko's shoulder, surprising him. 

' _You're doing the right thing._ ' He sent to Marko. The blonde didn't miss the pain reflected in Dwayne's eyes. Marko's widened slightly.

Dwayne had found his mate too? An image of a tall blonde haired girl with tan skin, dressed in a swimsuit with a surfboard flashed through his mind. He nodded to Dwayne, glancing back at the others. Well, at least he wasn't alone. And he was home.

Paul lit up the joint and took a puff. When he offered it to Marko the blonde took it and inhaled deep, hoping the haze would soften the sharp ache he felt.

Dwayne took his hit and passed the joint back. 

Paul held the joint out to David, who had been listening to Lilith and Lucius's story while Marko rebonded with his brothers.

David took it and took a long drag before handing it off to his mate, who grinned mischievously and looked over at Paul, and then Marko. She shot a wink at him and offered the weed to the twins. Lilith looked curious, but turned it down. Luc, however, took a good hit and handed the joint back.

Marko watched the little joint get passed around, taking his share and blowing the smoke into the air around him. He watched it drift, like fog.

When the sky began to grow lighter signaling the impending sunrise the twins were offered a place, and Marko made his way towards his old room. It was like stepping into a time capsule. Nothing had changed. 

He wandered around his room, touching the dust coated things that had made up his living space so long ago.

He peeked under the bed for his stash box, only to find it empty. Well, almost nothing had changed. He shook his head and laughed.

A knock sounded on the doorframe. Ronnie was there, holding a pile of red material.

"I thought you might like some clean bedclothes. Lilith and Lucius are in the den, so they're good." She said. She looked around the room, almost in awe. Marko took the bedclothes from her. The smell of lavender and woodsmoke drifted off the pile. Marko placed the cherry wood smell to David, but the lavender was definitely Ronnie.

"Thank you." Marko set the pile on his bed. 

"David wouldn't let me in here at all. None of them even came near this door. I think it hurt them too much to remember you were gone." She told Marko. He looked down at the floor for a long time before he looked up at her. There was a sadness in her eyes.

"I'm glad they had you. I've never seen David like this. He was always closed off. Well, except for..." Marko trailed off, thinking about the brief time before his demise. About the way that David had pursued Michael. And then it clicked, why Ronnie was so familiar. He looked up at her, shock clearly displayed across his face. 

"Except for my father. I know." She glanced down at her hands and then back up at him.

"That's why you look so familiar." The vampire almost whispered.

"Yeah. Guess it ran in the family, being drawn to vampires." She laughed.

"Is he...?" Marko didn't finish the question.

"Dead. When I was little. And before you ask, no Star wasn't my mother. And she's dead too. Hunted her down a while ago and finished it." Ronnie told him. A relief washed over Marko. The predatory gleam in her eyes was a lot like David. No wonder they were mates.

"Good. What about the Frogs?" He turned and sat down on the edge of the bed. Ronnie crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Gone. And we didn't look for Laddie. David told me about everything Max did. I'm glad Old Man Emerson dusted him." Marko nodded. He smiled to himself. He didn't know all of what had happened after he had gotten staked, just what Paul and Dwayne had told him mind to mind while they were smoking. Max being dead though, Marko was glad of. His sire had only ever been a pain in the ass.

"Max is dead. That means David's our true leader now." Marko turned to his leader's mate.

"Yeah. Also means you're free, unless you want to rejoin the pack. I know Paul and Dwayne did, they're strong in my head when they talk to me. But you, you sound distant, almost like an echo. Its there, but if I wasn't looking for it I wouldn't know it was there." She told him. He absorbed what she said.

"Hmm. Yeah, we were all made by Max. When one pack head dies and another steps up a new bond has to be forged. We have to drink his blood to be full pack." Marko informed her.

"That explains it. I drank David's blood, so I'm connected to Dwayne and Paul through pack bond. But you haven't yet." She said. Just then David appeared in the door. Marko turned to him. An arm slid around Ronnie and David met Marko's eye.

"We can talk about this later. I'm just glad to have you back, brother." The leader said. Marko smiled.

"S'good to be back." Marko replied. David touched his mind briefly.

' _We're whole again. You're back where you belong. We'll discuss everything else later, but now I think we all need some sleep. You're gonna need it to meet Gemma tomorrow_.' With that David dragged a mildly protesting Ronnie away. Marko shook his head, smiling at this new side of David. 

He got up and dragged the dusty moldering bedclothes off his mattress, and immediately started planning to find a new one. He made up his bed and climbed shed most of his clothes, opting to remain in his new boxers and shirt.

He smiled fondly, remembering how Lilith had gotten him to try it on, claiming it suited him. He had to admit, it kind of did. And it was extremely comfortable. He shoved his jeans and bright red jacket on a chair and dropped his brown hiking boots at the edge of his bed.

"Heya bud." Paul said from the door. Dwayne was beside him. Both were holding something. Marko smiled. Paul handed Marko a pillow in a green pillowcase, and hugged him around the neck, and Dwayne offered him a throw blanket that had been on the couch in the den. It was purple, and reminded him of Lilith.

He thanked his brothers, yawning, and they headed in the direction of their own rooms.

Marko took his gifts to the bed and crawled under the blanket. The comforting scents of his pack surrounded him, cherry wood and leather for David, mint and fresh air for Paul, cardamom and pine wood for Paul, and lavender and patchouli for his new sister, along with the delicate smell of roses that had to be Paul's mate, Gemma.

It was comforting, being surrounded by his family again. The scents of Lilith and Lucius lingered on his skin and hair, the peach blossom and rain eliciting a spark of mild lust, and the holly leaves and wolf smell making him feel safe.

Marko lost himself in the fatigue that the sunrise brought and drifted.

***

Silently the young halfling watched the cave. He had much to report to his sire. The Lost Boys had grown quite a bit. There were seven of them inside the cave now, and one human woman that had been with them, but wasn't anymore, likely hidden away when they had noticed the others watching them. That was double their original number. Much more of a challenge.

The sire would more work to do.

The halfling picked at his nails as the sun rose, the glare hurting his eyes. He grumbled but stayed where he was until his relief came. When she finally showed up he snapped at her for being late. She only smirked at him, the bite marks on her neck raw and only half healed.

He raced off to tell the sire his news, leaving the whore to watch the cave until night fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. Just a few more chapters until the end. Maybe 3.
> 
> After that I'll start working on part 3, Saving Princess Tigerlily. 
> 
> To everyone who has stuck with me this far, thank you so much. All the comments, kudos and support has been amazing, and I couldn't have done it without you.


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